Chapter 1125: Evil God's Power VS Death God's Power

Xu Xiaoshou darted aside, agilely evading Night Owl's snatch. He simultaneously created distance and held up the token in his hand.

"You want this?" He curved his lips, his gaze falling back to the large characters on the token as he asked curiously, "What is this?"

"God-Slaying Order."

Night Owl lifted her head with a wide gesture, causing her hood to flare upwards. This time, Xu Xiaoshou saw clearly: after the brief shadow that obscured her face vanished, a pair of clear, amber-like eyes were revealed, imbued with a chilling coldness and dark allure within their long, sharp gaze.

"Indeed, someone with such a stunning lower face couldn't possibly have unattractive eyes..." Xu Xiaoshou was momentarily stunned, his mind racing. But as he snapped back to attention, he found Night Owl already in front of him, her left hand reaching out again to directly grasp the "God-Slaying Order."

"She can even use her appearance?!" Xu Xiaoshou was impressed; this woman truly honed every weapon at her disposal to perfection. How many young men had she deceived with this trick? Was this how anomalies fell? Too bad it wouldn't fool him! He had seen more than a handful of eyes more beautiful than hers, both male and female. Did she know about the Tear Clan's pupils?

"Whoosh!" Xu Xiaoshou leaned back instantly, moving so fast that he left a white afterimage. After barely dodging another attempt by Night Owl to snatch the token, he smiled again.

"If I don't give it to you, you'll just take it by force?" The question was playful, yet undeniably full of provocation. Xu Xiaoshou's persona for "Chen Tan" was that he feared no void, otherwise "Chen Tan" wouldn't have ended up in the First Hall of Sin and still be alive. As for his sharp tongue, it was unavoidable. He had wanted to be a good boy and create a new identity, but sometimes he just couldn't control his mouth. Given that, he might as well incorporate this trait directly into Chen Tan's persona.

As expected, the moment he spoke, the air within the main hall of the Unforgivable Hall grew several degrees colder.

The ground trembled, the sky darkened, and a shadowy night enveloped everything. The mournful wail of souls once again sounded in his ears.

"You really want to fight?" Xu Xiaoshou was startled and uncertain, and the "Ghost Sign" immediately appeared in his eyes. He was immensely glad he had learned this Ghost Sword technique; it perfectly compensated for the biggest weakness in his soul attack and defense. At least now he could see, preventing him from dying inexplicably from an enemy's attack, or from not even knowing how or where to defend.

Under the "Ghost Sign," as far as his gaze reached, Night Owl once again summoned the "Ethereal Night Soil." This spirit ability seemed to connect the black ground to the underworld, allowing a hundred ghosts to cross into the mortal realm through this passage. In any case, Xu Xiaoshou was startled. It seemed Night Owl was serious this time!

A gigantic skeletal figure riding a dragon reduced to mere bones emerged from the dark, writhing earth, so vast it filled a tenth of the hall... Next came an ugly, giant-like soul body, heavily muscled and with two towering bull horns on its head, kicking the bone dragon away with one foot. It bent its knees and leaped out, standing tall as if propping up the heavens... One after another, then hundreds at a time, countless grotesque and hideous undead beings emerged from the black soil, each with distinct personalities and nearly solid soul forms.

Xu Xiaoshou's pupils constricted. He suddenly realized that Mr. Si Ren's self-deprecating comment about not being skilled in Ghost Sword techniques wasn't excessive modesty. Because the current scene, with the specters summoned by Night Owl, was on a completely different level compared to the ethereal and illusory phantoms Mr. Mei Si Ren summoned through the Gate of Hell when he fought Jiang Buyi! At the very least, regardless of swordsmanship, just looking at the strength of the specters, any one of them here could instantly destroy the lesser ghosts summoned by Mr. Si Ren. If it came to a real fight, perhaps only the Ten Hell Kings beneath the old sword immortal's sword manifestation could contend with these specters.

"Woooo—" It didn't stop; the summoning from the Ethereal Night Soil continued! Most chilling of all, after masses of crowded specters pushed their way into the main hall, a sky-darkening horde of three-legged black owls descended from the firmament, screeching wildly!

These were the culprits behind the darkened sky. Their numbers were incomparable, like a plague of locusts. After swooping down, they devoured, one by one, the terrifying monsters that had emerged from the black soil! "Damn!" Xu Xiaoshou's scalp tingled as he watched.

After consuming the specters, the flock of three-legged black owls coiled into a black tornado. The next second, the black tornado dissipated, revealing a Grand Master of Death: horned, clad in black death robes, standing on a white skeletal dragon, and wielding a staff of the undead.

Its muscles were so bulging that they ripped its robes. It was so tall that half its head was embedded in the ceiling of the hall, a hall where even a giant with gigantism could stand upright. As its two eyes, burning like crimson suns, swiveled, illusory three-legged black owls flew out from them. It felt as if the Golden Crow, representing the righteous sun, had been corrupted, transformed into an ominous entity brimming with evil. From small, it grew immense! So vast it blotted out the sky!

Immediately, these two massive, ominous entities surged towards Xu Xiaoshou's mind and soul, inescapable, as their flight path filled the entire main hall of the Unforgivable Hall.

"What kind of ability is this?" Xu Xiaoshou watched with trepidation; he had never seen such a bizarre ability. Even anomalies specializing in spiritual and soul paths had never displayed similar powers, and even Ghost Sword techniques, though closest to specters, seemed far removed from this cultivation direction. "Dark attribute?" "Soul attribute?" "No! Night Owl's attributes are definitely not a normal combination of those two, even though those two are already very abnormal!" Xu Xiaoshou realized Night Owl's peculiarity: this woman either didn't act, or when she did, she went straight for the kill. This was the type of person he disliked the most — someone who didn't play by the rules and couldn't be bluffed!

"Immovable Wisdom King." In a flash, a faint golden light radiated from Xu Xiaoshou, immunizing him against the mental shock of the two colossal three-legged black owls. A normal person would likely have been disturbed by the terrifying sounds emitted by those eerie undead beings as soon as the "Ethereal Night Soil" was summoned and Night Owl got serious. But Xu Xiaoshou's "Mental Awakening" constantly triggered, keeping him in a perpetually clear and calm state.

"It can be immunized?" The two great three-legged black owls passed through his soul as if through cotton. Xu Xiaoshou was overjoyed, realizing that this was not an attack method, but perhaps just an ability Night Owl used to control and influence people's minds.

Before he could make another move, Night Owl, who had just summoned the "martial-virtue-filled" Grand Master of Death, spoke with indifference. "Give it to me." Her words sounded like a decree from the King of Hell, referring, of course, to the God-Slaying Order. Xu Xiaoshou then understood: those whose minds and souls were impacted by the three-legged black owls would likely have their will stripped away, becoming completely obedient to Night Owl's commands.

"Mmm..." His eyes immediately glazed over, and he seemed to unconsciously step forward in a daze, intending to hand over the God-Slaying Order. One step, two steps, three steps... As he drew close, Xu Xiaoshou suddenly struck. Purple demonic light erupted from his entire body, as if he were possessed by an evil god. With a backhand, he produced an "Eye of Malevolent Shadow" thicker than a human head and ferociously slammed it towards Night Owl's delicate, cold face.

"You want it? Then take it!" With a loud bang, this incredibly violent use of the "Eye of Malevolent Shadow" was clearly unexpected. Night Owl also seemed completely unable to recover from Chen Tan's unexpected action. Her beautiful face was instantly smashed by the blow and embedded in the "Eye of Malevolent Shadow," which glowed with purple light.

"Hiss, hiss..." Strange purple evil energy sprayed outwards. This was the aura of an evil god's power; even if it was just an aura, its status was likely no less than any technique Night Owl had summoned. Almost instantly, the purple power, representing the evil god's aura, surged and filled Night Owl's entire body. The surging demonic energy churned violently, and Night Owl resembled a black balloon filled with purple pus, on the verge of exploding.

"Bang!" The balloon finally burst! However, the expected brilliant purple light or Night Owl falling into demonic possession did not occur. After the leader of the dark division exploded, her body transformed into numerous illusory, ethereal three-legged black owls. They flapped their wings, screeched, and flew onto the Grand Master of Death's shoulders, then solidified back into Night Owl's form.

"Suspected, Passive Points, 1." "Glared at, Passive Points, 1." "Locked on, Passive Points, 1." The information bar immediately flashed rapidly.

Xu Xiaoshou looked up and saw Night Owl's startled face. He grinned and laughed, "Chief Night Owl, why don't you want it anymore? What I have here is easy to snatch. I am merely a common being, while you are high above, taking whatever you please." "Watched, Passive Points, 1."

Surprisingly, Night Owl's expression calmed, and even "glaring" turned into "watching." This was an enemy who could control her emotions; goading her was useless, making her incredibly difficult to deal with... Xu Xiaoshou felt a surge of irritation.

"How did you evade my attack?" Night Owl stood on the shoulder of the Grand Master of Death, like one of the three-legged black owls herself.

"Heh!" Xu Xiaoshou's lips curved into a sneer. "Miss Night Owl, do you truly believe that 'Pure Abode,' the sixteenth generation's sole descendant, is made of soft persimmons? Our sect cultivates 'purity and non-action, equality under heaven.' Obscure methods like yours can never defile my mind!"

Even Night Owl, who rarely showed strong emotions, couldn't help but blink in surprise and her face registered astonishment. Purity and non-action, equality under heaven? She thought of the faint golden light that had erupted from Chen Tan earlier. Was he referring to that? But the next second, everything in Night Owl's mind was filled by the "Eye of Malevolent Shadow," which was a thousand times more sinister than her own methods and had insisted on embedding itself in a human face. This was "purity"? Who was more "obscure" in their methods? Your sect holds such lofty ideals of "purity and non-action, equality under heaven," yet your disciples practice nothing but these "pure" techniques?

"Caw—" The three-legged black owl on her shoulder suddenly tilted its head back and cawed, as if mocking him. Night Owl's expression immediately returned to calm, and she didn't utter any more sarcastic remarks. Just from their recent exchange, she confirmed her earlier thought—this Chen Tan was no ordinary person. Even if she had never heard of any "Pure Abode," and even if there had never been a "Chen Tan" in any intelligence regarding the Southern Domain's Great Void. But the mere appearance of the "aura of an evil god's power" convinced Night Owl that Chen Tan was extraordinary.

His spirit abilities seemed to have little power, perhaps barely reaching the output of a Throne Dao Realm, but their inherent status was very high. She surmised that this person was as cautious as she was, both wary of the unknown within the Unforgivable Hall and wary of their opponent. Thus, they were merely testing the waters, using less than a tenth of their full power to probe each other.

Nevertheless, the "God-Slaying Order" could not fall into the hands of anyone outside the Holy Divine Palace. Night Owl stopped thinking. With a flick of her hand, it materialized in the air. Her pale hand contrasted sharply with her black feathered cloak and the shadowy Grand Master of Death as she declared imperiously, "Give it to me. This is the last time."

The last time for what? A warning? Xu Xiaoshou stood on the hall floor, looking up. He felt that the leader of the dark division was unapproachable, yet he met her gaze without fear. After a moment's contemplation, he said, "What if... my answer is 'no'?"

Night Owl said nothing more. Her hand paused in the air for about two seconds, then slowly curled inward. "Boom!" The sky above was suddenly replaced by darkness. After space shattered, a narrow, gigantic rift opened, as if an unknown entity, gazing upon everything from beyond the plane, had opened its eye. This was the Eye of Death! As this dark, owl-like eye, representing death, opened, the Unforgivable Hall surged with a dense aura of death, and all things began to wither.

The hundreds of colossal torture devices displayed outside became mottled and decayed. With creaking sounds, pieces fell from them, as if their spirits had died and their physical forms were rotting. The murals outside the main hall cracked, oozing crimson blood as if children were crying, and indeed, the sound of infants wailing began to fill the air! A desolate wind, carrying a strong, foul odor, swept through the hall from an unseen source, soon forming nine towering black tornadoes that raged wildly. Like a scene of an apocalypse, Night Owl stood on the shoulder of the Grand Master of Death, backed by the Eye of Death, treading upon a calamity of undead, her aura capable of swallowing mountains and rivers!

"You possess the aura of an evil god's power, and I am Death walking among mortals... Chen Tan, my patience has run out. You have only three breaths to consider." Night Owl's eyes were indifferent, her feathered cloak billowed, and her tone was stern and cold. Rarely did she offer so many words of warning: "The price of futile resistance is only death."

"Frightened, Passive Points, 1." Xu Xiaoshou felt the rate at which his life force was draining accelerate. If it was "one" before, merely influenced by the unique properties of the First Hall of Sin, now it was "ten thousand"! "Life Unceasing," "Full of Vigor," and "Conversion" were operating wildly, yet they couldn't keep up with the speed at which his life force was being lost under the gaze of the "Eye of Death."

"This woman..." Xu Xiaoshou didn't suppress the terror in his expression. Night Owl possessed the explosive power of Teng Shan Hai, a status as high as Rao Yaoyao's, and the decisiveness that only Vigilante had after being tormented by him. She was truly a dark sovereign who had received the Holy Divine Palace's "execute first, report later" authority, wielding a power comparable to the "aura of an evil god's power"—no, comparable to Teng Shan Hai's "demonic god's power."

Xu Xiaoshou was certain that this leader of the dark division had mastered some unique ancestral power! She was the Holy Divine Palace's hidden trump card, and unlike Teng Shan Hai, she wouldn't lose control after activating this power. If he didn't use some of "Holy Slave Xu Xiaoshou's" abilities now, he might not even need to consider how to defeat her; merely surviving the Unforgivable Hall would become a challenge.

However... The cost of exposure was even more of a dead end! "God-Slaying Order..." Xu Xiaoshou glanced at the half-human-tall token in his hand, already considering whether to just give it away. It wasn't worth it; his life was more important. He chickened out! He truly hadn't expected Night Owl to be so fierce, even fiercer than a rampaging Teng Shan Hai!

Just then, before Xu Xiaoshou could hand over the "God-Slaying Order," the power of the ongoing battle seemed to stir some form of will. A weak voice suddenly echoed out of thin air: "Stop fighting! The main hall will explode if you keep fighting!" "First, save me..."

Xu Xiaoshou and Night Owl froze simultaneously, then abruptly turned their gaze. The source of the voice was precisely the cell where Night Owl had previously stayed, cell number "Heaven Three"—Heaven-Rank Cell Number Three!