Chapter 1121: The Spirit of the Heavenly Ancestor

Is this the effect of the divine medicine?

Xu Xiaoshou, now a golden berserk giant, stopped mid-air, silently gazing at his fist. The Divine Miracle Fruit can increase spiritual power from zero to one. Can a single Dragon Apricot allow a mortal body to fight a Void Attendant? No, one isn't enough... It was mainly because I consumed it, and with the enhancement of various passive skills, I was able to use my physical strength to fight a Void Attendant. Of course, by the end, this battle was no longer purely physical. Xu Xiaoshou had used too many awakening skills, even the "Acala" he had just drawn. The Void Attendant thought the giant opposite was also only using physical strength... which was both true and untrue.

With a whoosh, he shrunk back to human size. Xu Xiaoshou used a brief "Disappearance Art" to change into a fresh set of clothes, just to cover himself.

"I lost my composure."

Returning to Mr. Yiren and the others, Xu Xiaoshou's inner irritation had significantly eased. He decided not to dwell on Kong Yuhen; regardless, he was clearly no match for him right now. However, being able to grow strong enough to contend with a Void Attendant in such a short time was already a significant breakthrough. One should always look at the bright side!

"The battle isn't over yet..." Xiao Kongtong said hesitantly, glancing at the Void Attendant that was now roaring and standing up again behind them. The Void Attendant's formidable ability lay in its capacity to devour even spiritual power, as well as various other forms of energy. Therefore, even though Xu Xiaoshou had just blasted it away with a punch, it didn't mean it was defeated. On the contrary, after absorbing the power of that punch, the Void Attendant's condition hadn't deteriorated much; it still had the strength to fight. At this moment, it beat its chest and roared, staring intently at the now-shrunk "giant kinsman," Xu Xiaoshou. It bellowed wildly, yet a tremor of fear prevented it from stepping forward. Clearly, it could sense that an ordinary person who delivered such a punch would likely be exhausted, but that "giant kinsman" was still full of energy, just like itself.

"Yes, the battle isn't over, but there's no need to waste time continuing it," Xu Xiaoshou said with a smile, having vented his frustrations and simultaneously verified his current combat strength. "Even if I were to use ancient sword arts, I couldn't kill this big guy if we kept fighting. I know that much myself." "So, it's time for you two seniors to make your move. The countdown is still active, and we can't afford to waste time."

Xiao Kongtong was silent for a moment. These words offered some comfort, as even he wasn't entirely confident he could completely kill a Void Attendant. These giants that could devour others' strength were truly too bizarre. Especially since they were currently in Sin Hall One of the Void Island, which was the Void Attendants' home ground.

"But you have a way to resolve this problem faster without fighting," Xiao Kongtong hinted. Xu Xiaoshou understood his senior brother's implied meaning but dismissed it with a smile: "Ah Hong isn't a prisoner. I can order it to do some things, but I don't think it's right to make it fight its former subordinates like this." Given that the four-person team only had a vague understanding of the "Death Exemption Token" and no idea where to exchange it, the first Void Attendant they encountered in Sin Hall One was undoubtedly the best option for asking directions. There was no need to say it; all three of them knew. Xu Xiaoshou had also considered letting Void General Hong act. He figured that for a "General" dealing with an "Attendant," asking questions would be simple. However, upon putting himself in Ah Hong's shoes and reconsidering, he felt it wasn't appropriate. At the very least, he needed to consider Ah Hong's feelings, rather than simply treating it as a tool. Moreover, if released, Void General Hong, who only knew "battle," would likely rampage through everything, leaving no survivors.

"That's something I hadn't considered. My apologies." Xiao Kongtong nodded in understanding. However, even if he were to suppress the Void Attendant, it would come at a cost. "Let me do it," Mei Yiren spoke up. From the moment he began escorting Xu Xiaoshou, he had already prepared himself to be a utility. In a place as perilous as Sin Hall One, letting Xiao Kongtong expend unnecessary energy on the Void Attendant would clearly be disadvantageous for dealing with potential future contingencies. Therefore, the best option was for him to deal with this Void Attendant, as it would be effortless for him.

"You just need to suppress it with your 'Sword Manifestation,' and I'll handle the questioning," Xu Xiaoshou chuckled, feeling that Mr. Yiren had already seen through his little scheme. "No need for that," Mei Yiren didn't bother with such considerations; he simply drew the stone sword from his back.

As the sword hummed, the dim environment within the labyrinth walls instantly transformed. Everyone felt a blur before their eyes, as if they had arrived at the previous battlefield in the Forest of Miracles. The desolate ground, scattered ancient trees, dust flying and swirling... everything was so lifelike. The illusion was meticulously crafted down to every tiny detail, both noticeable and subtly hidden. In this environment, everything that the Void Attendant guarding the Divine Farmer's Medicine Garden had feared the most reappeared! There was the half-saint Jiang Buyi, transformed into flowing celestial clouds, his saintly aura covering ten thousand miles; there was the Seven Sword Immortal Mei Yiren, bearing a fierce Sword Manifestation, who had just annihilated a half-saint's avatar with a single sword stroke; and there was Void General Hong, a stream of light descending from the sky, kneeling on the ground, a greatsword piercing its chest, and ghostly flames in its eyes!

"This..." Xu Xiaoshou was stunned, realizing he hadn't summoned Ah Hong, but Mr. Yiren had conjured it with his Illusionary Sword Art. The oppressive aura of these three was overwhelming. The moment they appeared, the opposing Dark Void Attendant immediately collapsed to its knees with a thud, unable to withstand such pressure, and stared up in bewildered shock at the three monstrous figures before it.

"Roar? Roar, roar?"

Mu Zixi was equally astonished: half-saint's aura, sword manifestation monsters... The illusion, still incredibly realistic in its details, perfectly replicated the battle scene in the Forest of Miracles that Xu Xiaoshou had described to her within the Yuan Mansion. From this illusion alone, she could glimpse a fraction of the grandeur and might of that battle. Xu Xiaoshou, was he really audacious enough to scheme and tease Half-Saint Jiang Buyi under the watchful eyes of these figures back then? He must have had incredible guts! What if he had died?

"Cursed, Passive Point +1, +1, +1, +1"

Footsteps tapped as Xu Xiaoshou approached the trembling Dark Void Attendant, who was kneeling on the ground. With just a solemn glance, his aura, without Mei Yiren's help, revealed a glimpse of the Sword God's image from his Mind Sword Art: God and Buddha. In the Void Attendant's eyes, he had become an unattainable "Void General." "Be good. If you don't cause trouble, nothing bad will happen," Xu Xiaoshou said in the giant's language. "Roar?" The Void Attendant was startled. "You can..." "I ask, you answer." "Roar, roar."

"Do you know about this 'Death Exemption Token'?" "Yes..." "Where is it?" "The Main Hall..." The Void Attendant dared not resist. It had already clearly understood that this "giant kinsman" wasn't the strongest; his companions behind him were even more powerful. In such a situation, the cost of resistance was death, and all information would be extracted anyway. Rather than that, it was better to humble itself for now. If it could escape later, it would summon its brethren to capture this group in one fell swoop.

"The Main Hall?" Xu Xiaoshou could now infer the "vastness" of Sin Hall One from the "smallness" of this labyrinth. Perhaps it shouldn't be called "seeing the big from the small," but rather "seeing the wide from the big"! According to the Void Attendant, if there's a Main Hall, then Sin Hall One must also have side halls and annexes?

"How do we get to the Main Hall?" Xu Xiaoshou asked. "Follow the guidance of the heart..." "Heart?" "It's the guidance of the 'Spirit of the Heavenly Ancestor'..."

This unfamiliar term made Xu Xiaoshou pause, but he quickly recalled the first time he encountered a Void Attendant and how it had issued him a task. These Void Attendants also seemed to operate based on mission directives in their minds... So, this "Spirit of the Heavenly Ancestor" should refer to the source of all directives, which is the "Spirit of the Void Island"?

"Who is it?" Xu Xiaoshou asked, feigning ignorance. He hadn't expected this question to seemingly enrage the Void Attendant. The Dark Void Attendant shot an angry glance over, seemingly about to strike down this disrespectful kinsman. But its gaze swept across the three powerful presences behind Xu Xiaoshou, one of whom even bore the aura of a Void General. The Void Attendant held back... "It is the supreme being of our race, the ultimate ruler above all generals, the eternal god of the Void race!" It paused, then its tone became reverent: "The God has never fallen! It merely exists in a different form, continuing to protect the Void race."

Xu Xiaoshou understood that the Void Race was the giant race's self-appellation, and the Void Attendant's words affirmed his earlier conjecture. The Spirit of the Heavenly Ancestor was the Spirit of the Void Island! "Heavenly Ancestor..." Xu Xiaoshou murmured, cutting off his thoughts, and continued to ask, "If there's no guidance from the 'Spirit of the Heavenly Ancestor,' how do I get to the Main Hall of Sin Hall One?"

"Those who are lost should return. Retreat quickly from Sin Hall One. Without the guidance of the 'Spirit of the Heavenly Ancestor,' you will be lost here forever," the Void Attendant said coldly. "I don't believe you," Xu Xiaoshou shook his head. "Uh..." The Void Attendant suddenly seemed choked. "You definitely have another way." "No, only by following the guidance of the heart..." The Void Attendant was honest. Xu Xiaoshou tried probing it several times, even using the "Deceived" skill, but this big fellow truly had no other method to reach the Main Hall. All answers pointed to needing the guidance of the "Spirit of the Heavenly Ancestor" to reach the Main Hall; otherwise, one would only get lost in this vast labyrinth.

"How many Void Crystals does the 'Death Exemption Token' require to exchange?" Xu Xiaoshou could only change the subject. "I don't know. Previously, it was ten, or thirty Void Crystals..." "Previously?" The Death Exemption Token, its price could increase? "How long ago was 'previously'?" This question seemed to stump the Void Attendant. It pondered for a long time before uncertainly saying, "Thousands of years ago? These are issues that only criminals should be concerned with." "..." Xu Xiaoshou changed the topic again, "How many Void Crystals do you have on you?" "Huh?" The Void Attendant was stunned. "It's a life-saving deal. Give me your Void Crystals, and you can leave. I won't kill you. I've always been a good friend to the Void Race," Xu Xiaoshou said with a sincere and serious expression. The Void Attendant endured and endured, finally, with humiliation and reluctance, it "clanked" out thirty-four Void Crystals and offered them with both hands. Xu Xiaoshou unceremoniously took them all and wanted to extort more. But the Void Attendant was honest; it had given its entire fortune, and nothing more could be squeezed out. When Xu Xiaoshou waved his hand to let it go, the enormous Dark Giant rumbled, turned, and fled, without a single lingering glance, not even attempting a counterattack. Xu Xiaoshou found this situation unbelievable. Such a colossal monster was driven away so quickly with Mr. Yiren's assistance. With powerful backing, the journey through Sin Hall One was indeed far safer than he had imagined!

"Is it over?" Mei Yiren, who had withdrawn his Illusionary Sword Art with a slash of his stone sword, watched Xu Xiaoshou return and asked, "How did the questioning go?" The giant race's language sounded like incoherent gibberish to them. It was hard to imagine how Xu Xiaoshou had learned it; he seemed like a polyglot of all races. Now, if he claimed he could speak beast language, everyone would believe him. "There wasn't much useful information, but I did manage to ask about a 'Spirit of the Heavenly Ancestor.' Do you know about it?" Xu Xiaoshou looked at everyone, relaying everything that had just happened.

"Heavenly Ancestor..." Xiao Kongtong narrowed his eyes, feeling both unfamiliar and familiar with the term. "One of the Ten Ancestors. Very little is known about them—or rather, almost nothing at all," Mei Yiren said, re-sheathing his stone sword and pinching his paper fan, deep in thought. "The 'Spirit of the Heavenly Ancestor' you mentioned... is it the 'Spirit of the Void Island'?" "I suspect they're the same," Xu Xiaoshou nodded.

Heavenly Ancestor, Void Giant Race, Void Island, City in the Sky... The conclusion drawn from this was both unexpected and reasonable, but despite their thoughts, after exchanging glances, they still found it somewhat hard to believe. An island, perpetually floating in the void, aloof from worldly affairs, blessed by a truly existing deity, and still showing traces of divine decrees, had now decayed to this extent?

"Let's distribute the spoils first. We got thirty-four Void Crystals this time." Xu Xiaoshou saw that no one had anything to say, knowing that further discussion wouldn't yield answers to these questions. So, he pulled out all ninety-six Void Crystals he had on him. He no longer minded sharing. After all, once he thought with a broader perspective, with Mr. Yiren's powerful backing, there shouldn't be any issue with being unable to exchange for the "Death Exemption Token." If they needed more Void Crystals, it would simply be a matter of robbing a few more Void Attendants. The only remaining limitation was whether they could locate the Main Hall of Sin Hall One within just a few days.

With thirty Void Crystals distributed to each person, Xu Xiaoshou's concern was what the Void Attendant had just said. If, at the last moment, they were to get lost in this labyrinth and be scattered by some mysterious force, then at least not all their eggs would be in one basket, preventing Mr. Yiren and Xiao Kongtong from being trapped by the tight deadline. Although this extreme scenario was unlikely, it was always good to be prepared.

"What about mine?" Mu Zixi eagerly eyed the thirty-six Void Crystals still in Xu Xiaoshou's hand, thinking that at the very least, she should get some loose change, perhaps six. "Here," Xu Xiaoshou picked out one and handed it over, calmly saying, "This is what Xi'er earned when we completed that mission together. It's yours." "Xi'er...?!" The young girl clutched the Void Crystal in a daze, but she was utterly infuriated by the affectionate nickname her senior brother had used. "I'll smash you to death!" She furiously threw the Void Crystal at Xu Xiaoshou's head, but it "thunked" and bounced back, creating a swollen bump on her own forehead. "Ow~" This girl is so mad!

"Cursed, Passive Point +1, +1, +1, +1"

Having chuckled after teasing the "cat," Xu Xiaoshou stopped playing around and turned to Mr. Yiren and Xiao Kongtong: "What do we do now? Even the Void Attendant doesn't have a way to the Main Hall." "Then we'll just have to use the most primitive method..." Mei Yiren looked towards the distant end of the "labyrinth path," then withdrew his gaze and glanced at Xiao Kongtong. "Will you do it, or shall I?" Xu Xiaoshou watched, puzzled by what riddle these two were playing. "What method?" Mu Zixi, rubbing her forehead, blinked, then glared, and wanted to kick again, but Xu Xiaoshou dodged. "I'll do it," Xiao Kongtong glanced at the girl and explained with a smile, "The process of elimination." Having said that, the void behind him fractured, transforming into countless small void swords. The dense array of swords, with their unusually symmetrical and aesthetic arrangement, was a deadly poison for those with trypophobia but the best remedy for those with OCD. Xiao Kongtong pointed, and the void swords behind him surged forward along the labyrinthine path, turning at every bend, squeezing through every gap, like a swarm of locusts, whistling as they disappeared. "Myriad Sword Art... Immortal's Guidance!"