Chapter 1168: Applying His Own Methods to Him Unity of Heaven and Man, Absolute Imperial Rule

Outrageous!Absolutely outrageous!

Feng Xiaose had never seen anyone like this. He was also a fop who acted high and mighty, but in Sky City, he knew to exercise some restraint. However, these two young people in front of him completely redefined his understanding the moment they met. When that young girl uttered those words, even Feng Xiaose felt ashamed for her. How could she say such a thing?

These two weren't just arrogant; they were sick, completely out of their minds! They were absolute fools who didn't know the meaning of "death," recklessly gambling with their lives and casually discarding them if things didn't go their way!

"Are you here to cause trouble?"

Feng Xiaose suppressed his anger, resisting the urge to draw his sword. He repeatedly reminded himself that this was Sky City. These two might have hidden backing, and their intentions weren't pure. *How could anyone's objective be simply to seek death? People with such intellect wouldn't survive long on the Sacred Divine Continent, let alone in Sky City!*

"Cause trouble?"

The moment Feng Xiaose finished speaking, everyone saw the arrogant young man, who had been silent and looking down on others, finally speak. His tone was utterly dismissive, filled with what Feng Xiaose perceived as a purely provocative intent. He said: "Firstly, you came to us. Secondly, we don't cause trouble, but we're not afraid of it. I'll give you three more breaths of time. Everyone, first kneel and kowtow three times, then state why you came to find me, Xu."

When he finished speaking, the entire place fell silent.

Feng Xiaose's eyelids twitched. Li Fugui's entire face sagged. Behind them, Xiao Ping and Xiao An lowered their gazes, their expressions unreadable. Zhu Yike, the man with a pointed mouth, sunken cheeks, and shifty eyes, who had already been secretly observed through "Perception," now had his eyes twinkling with stars as he looked at Xu Xiaoshou. As for Chen Ran, the old man could barely contain his rage, but with Feng Xiaose leading the group, he forcefully held back from acting.

"Xu Xiaoshou?" Li Fugui stepped forward, pulled back the restless Feng Xiaose, and asked, "Are you Xu Xiaoshou of the Holy Slaves? *That* Xu Xiaoshou?"

"That one?""Which one?"

Xu Xiaoshou's nostrils seemed wide enough to encompass the six people in front of him. He didn't respond, indifferently counting.

"Three."

Instantly, Li Fugui's anger also flared up to his brows. But he suppressed it, still holding down Feng Xiaose's sword, and continued: "I've heard that Xu Xiaoshou of the Holy Slaves, renowned throughout the Five Domains, is a phantom-like figure. People only hear rumors of Xu Xiaoshou's movements, but never actually see him. If you are acting this way just to smear the Holy Slave Xu Xiaoshou and ignite conflict among major factions, I believe you might be underestimating our group of six."

These words carried significant weight. Feng Xiaose's rising temper was also suppressed. He finally remembered who this so-called "Lord Xu Xiaoshou of the Holy Slaves" was. He was the young generation currently at the height of their fame! Everyone had heard of him, everyone knew him! Legend had it that this fellow had set up a massive trap for Rao Yaoyao, one of the Seven Sword Immortals, in the Eastern Domain's Sword God Heaven, even defeating Yi. The huge news of one of the Six Departments Chiefs dying, which could be suppressed initially, had long since leaked after so many days. Even though the influence of the Sacred Divine Hall rarely reached the Southern Domain's Land of Sin, news of a peak Taixu cultivator falling on the continent always spread like wildfire. Feng Xiaose didn't even need to ask; he had heard various versions of the story of Xu Xiaoshou battling Yi many times.

"You are Xu Xiaoshou?" As he regained his composure and looked at the two large nostrils before him, Feng Xiaose felt his mind growing confused. If this kind of person was Xu Xiaoshou, then the Holy Slaves would have already been destroyed by him alone, wouldn't they? How could they still stand at the pinnacle of the dark world, even feared by the Xuyue Gray Palace?

"Two."

Xu Xiaoshou, however, narrowed his eyes, reached into his nostril, completely ignoring Feng Xiaose.

"Received enraged gaze, Passive Points +3."

That one action infuriated half of the people opposite him. Xu Xiaoshou's meaning was clear: *Why aren't you kowtowing yet?*

The old man, Chen Ran, finally couldn't hold back. With a furious shout of "Disregarding all hierarchy!", he stepped forward. The spiritual energy fluctuations around him flared, so fast that even Li Fugui couldn't stop him. But with a whoosh, the moment he moved, Xu Xiaoshou instantly flashed to his side, smiling faintly.

"You!" Chen Ran's pupils contracted.

"Received astonishment, Passive Points +1."

Xu Xiaoshou had already grabbed his raised arm.

"Wind surge..." The old man's words were cut short, his spiritual energy not yet fully prepared. Xu Xiaoshou chuckled, and a red gluttonous beast head suddenly appeared behind him.

"Chomp!"

It devoured it in one big gulp, swallowing half of Chen Ran's spiritual skill! The remaining spiritual energy fluctuations were barely enough to form a spiritual skill that could threaten Xu Xiaoshou before his breakthrough. At that moment, Chen Ran's expression seemed frozen, half-bewildered, half-shocked. The few people behind him were equally horrified, exclaiming, but before they could help, they saw the young man, who called himself Xu Xiaoshou of the Holy Slaves, use Chen Ran's grabbed arm as leverage and slowly raise his right leg. He raised his knee with a bent calf, lifting it very high, almost pressing it against Chen Ran's chest.

"Stop!" Feng Xiaose sharply realized something was wrong. This kid was really here to cause trouble. Chen Ran was in danger!

Xu Xiaoshou, however, tilted his head with a smile, baring a row of pristine white teeth.

"One."

His calf lightly whipped outwards. In that instant, everyone saw many layers of fluctuations surge from Chen Ran's body. There was the glow of a wind-elemental domain, his Taixu World, a heavy green shield, and a close-fitting protective spiritual skill.

"Boom!"

An explosive sound. Xu Xiaoshou's calf only revealed his explosive domain; the fleeting multi-layered sacred power vanished. But all of Chen Ran's defenses were like paper. First, they were shattered by the explosive domain, and then his chest, forged from flesh and blood, took a direct hit from Xu Xiaoshou's steel whip-kick.

"Ugh." Master Han, huddled in Mu Zixi's arms, his eyelids twitched wildly. He knew the power of that whip-kick, having personally experienced it moments ago; even a ghost beast's body had its chest exploded, let alone a human's?

"Whoosh!" A whistling sound of air being torn startled everyone. Chen Ran's lower body, severed into three pieces, exploded in place. His arm remained clutched in Xu Xiaoshou's hand, while his upper body, tearing through a spray of blood, flew between the stunned Xiao Ping and Xiao An. Blood splattered across both their faces.

The entire scene froze for a moment.

"Gulp~" Li Fugui's Adam's apple bobbed, his eyes almost bulging out. What did he just witness? Taixu Chen Ran, exploded by a single kick from this guy who called himself Xu Xiaoshou of the Holy Slaves? If it had been a normal fight, with normal moves, no one would have felt pity for Chen Ran's death. But damn it, one kick completely shattered a Taixu!

"What kind of physique is this?" As his thoughts raced, Li Fugui suddenly recalled information about Xu Xiaoshou of the Holy Slaves. Among his most iconic characteristics, none stood out more than the fact that he possessed a Throne Body, with physical strength several times greater than that of an ordinary Spirit Refiner. This point seemed to align perfectly with what he was seeing, yet it was also distinctly different. "A Throne Body shouldn't be able to instantly shatter Chen Ran's four layers of defense, including his Taixu World! This guy, this guy..."

No matter how much Li Fugui disbelieved it, he felt that the person standing there was indeed Xu Xiaoshou himself, and an enhanced version of him at that! This was easy to understand. Sky City had been open for some time. If it were Xu Xiaoshou of the Holy Slaves waiting for the island, it would be impossible for him not to have broken through for so long. His rise had been very rapid; he was almost constantly breaking through!

"You... are... seeking... death!"

Yet, in that brief moment of thought, Li Fugui clearly missed the best chance to stop Feng Xiaose. When the hoarse voice, brimming with suppressed fury, sounded beside him, Li Fugui realized that Feng Xiaose was truly enraged. To have a member of his team exploded by a kick right in front of him! This blow might intimidate others present, but it certainly wouldn't include Feng Xiaose, who hailed from the Southern Domain's Feng Family and the Xuyue Gray Palace.

"Brother Xiaose, wait..." Li Fugui hastily turned to pull him back. "There was no need for this fight; it was all a misunderstanding!" But his words caught in his throat, and his gaze was once again drawn to the wildly arrogant Xu Xiaoshou.

"Death?" After Xu Xiaoshou kicked Chen Ran flying, sending him to who-knew-where, he flicked the blood off his calf and then tossed the severed arm between Xiao Ping and Xiao An. Having done all this, he tilted his head with a smile, looked at Feng Xiaose, and even picked his ear. "How do you spell 'death'? Who can teach me? Can you?"

What the hell! In his entire life, Feng Xiaose had never met anyone so utterly disgusting, so infuriating that one would want to lop off their head with a single sword. It was always *his* turn to be arrogant! When did it become anyone else's turn to act high and mighty in front of him? Feng Xiaose felt as uncomfortable as if someone had forced a mosquito into his mouth and made him swallow it!

"If you didn't know how to spell 'death' before, you won't need to learn it now. Today, you'll experience it firsthand!" He gripped the sword hilt and drew his sword with a ringing clang.

"Buzz!"

A lingering sword hum echoed for miles. A sharp sword light flashed and vanished, yet it still cleaved towards Xu Xiaoshou's head.

"A sword?" Xu Xiaoshou sneered, "Heh, on this continent, someone dares to draw a sword against me?" He completely forgot that he wasn't wearing Ba Zun'an's face at the moment, yet he was speaking Ba Zun'an's words. But he paid no heed to this successor of the Southern Domain's Feng Family. With a pivot of his foot, a shimmering light pattern appeared beneath him.

"Clang!!"

A sword hum, even more piercing than Feng Xiaose's, resonated in all directions. Xu Xiaoshou also drew his swords; the You Si Sword in his left hand, Yan Mang in his right. At the same time, the light patterns beneath him converged, forming a dazzling Sword Dao Disc of profound mystery. In that instant, the Sword Dao Disc, filling the vast battleground of the Giant Kingdom, completely captivated everyone's attention, including Feng Xiaose himself!

"Received doubt, Passive Points +5."

The entire scene was dumbfounded. This profound disc...?

Standing on the Sword Dao Disc, having activated the special passive skill "Unity of Heaven and Man," Xu Xiaoshou felt his understanding of the Dao become crystal clear, a complete unity of man and sword. He gazed directly at the incoming sword light. At this moment, the only thought flashing through Xu Xiaoshou's mind was how to instantly dismantle this sword to the greatest extent possible, making it truly astonishing. And so, the image of Ba Zun'an "seeing through a sword light with a single glance" flashed in his mind. His heart followed his spirit, and a sense of "they can be replaced" surged within him. Unconsciously, Xu Xiaoshou also employed the ability of "Sword Observing Art," his aura transforming into wind, rising with a rustling sound.

His Sword Intent had long been cultivated. Sword Intent, as the second generation of Complete Divine Thought, was about "intent" and "momentum"; by giving it form, it could then be perfected. As for "intent," ever since he cultivated "All Under My Gaze Are Demons," Xu Xiaoshou dared to say his sword dao intent was second to none. As for "momentum," he used to be somewhat lacking, but now "Swallowing Mountains and Rivers" was at "Saint Emperor Lv.0" level, capable of shattering mountains and rivers with a single glance.

"Boom!"

At that moment, Xu Xiaoshou's gaze swept across, and with a resounding crack in the void, Feng Xiaose's sword light instantly extinguished! Xu Xiaoshou was stunned. He himself felt surprised; it just... vanished? He had originally thought "they can be replaced" was merely a fantasy, just a means to forcefully raise one's momentum. He never imagined he could actually do it! *I've gotten stronger?!* This was the most direct feeling; Xu Xiaoshou suddenly realized that his Passive Points hadn't been spent in vain. After breaking through to the Throne Dao realm and his passive skills fully upgrading, he could now do so many things he couldn't before!

"Death?" Standing on the Sword Dao Disc, holding the fierce You Si Sword and Yan Mang. At this moment, Xu Xiaoshou felt as if the entire world was building momentum for him. He immediately looked at Feng Xiaose with a sneer, the corner of his mouth curving, and coldly scoffed, "What did you just say? Today, *I*, Xu Xiaoshou, will die?" He pressed down with both swords, and the Half-Saint level "Swallowing Mountains and Rivers" fully formed. Everyone present felt as if an invisible, sky-supporting giant had stepped down, landing precisely on this battleground. The next second, the ground of the entire battlefield sharply sank. Stone slabs cracked, and ancient buildings groaned and crumbled. Everything, like a single log struggling to support a heavy load, burst and shattered.

"What kind of... momentum is this?!" Zhu Yike's eyes gleamed as he stared intently at Xu Xiaoshou, the stars in his eyes almost solidifying. Xiao Ping and Xiao An exchanged glances, both greatly horrified, but they silently retreated from the battlefield without a word, each lost in their own thoughts. Li Fugui was terrified, trembling, and dared not advance further. He watched Xu Xiaoshou in shock, the only doubt remaining in his heart shifting from "that person might not truly be Xu Xiaoshou" to "is Xu Xiaoshou really this strong?"

"What's going on..." The elder Chen Ran, who had flown back from afar after repairing his broken body, was initially burning with rage, determined to tear that fake Xu kid into a thousand pieces. He believed he had merely lost the initiative and been ambushed. But the moment he stepped onto the battlefield, Chen Ran saw Xu Xiaoshou standing on the Sword Dao Disc, wielding the You Si Sword and Yan Mang, and single-handedly suppressing the entire field with his powerful momentum. At this moment, his anger was doused as if by a bucket of cold water, cooling instantly.

You Si Sword, Yan Mang... In the Eastern Domain, who didn't know what they represented? After a period of hesitation and doubt, Chen Ran recoiled, hiding in the shadows of the ancient building, his face grim, daring not to show himself again. Terrifying! What kind of monster is this?! He had only heard before that Sky City was filled with treasures and dangers, and anyone you met could be a wolf in sheep's clothing. After entering Sky City, Chen Ran felt this didn't quite match reality; he had seen Taixu cultivators weaker than himself. But while the lower limit of Sky City was like this, its upper limit was beyond anyone's imagination. Just like Feng Xiaose. Just like that self-proclaimed... oh, undeniably real Xu Xiaoshou. When these people truly unleashed their power and started fighting, ordinary Taixu cultivators like Chen Ran could only instinctively feel: *Can Taixu truly cultivate such abilities?*

Peeking out from the shadows, Chen Ran glanced at the Sword Dao Disc beneath Xu Xiaoshou's feet, then retracted his body. After a moment of recovery, he still couldn't believe what his spiritual sense had perceived. He chose to rub his eyes, then peeked out again to look at the profound disc. No illusion! This thing actually seems to be real? What kind of monstrous talent is this? How old is he to have cultivated a profound disc? And of the ancient sword cultivation path? Is this world about to change again...?

Within the battlefield, the only one directly facing Xu Xiaoshou's oppressive aura was actually Feng Xiaose alone. The pressure others felt was merely residual.

"Damn it!" When Xu Xiaoshou's gaze shattered the sword light and focused on him, Feng Xiaose's knees trembled, almost making him fall to his knees on the spot. At one point, he even thought he was facing a revered saint, not a young person of his generation. How did he cultivate this? Could a young person truly possess such momentum?

"Your surname is Feng?" Xu Xiaoshou glanced at him, his swords still held in his hands. He mimicked what a proper ancient sword cultivator, like Gu Qingyi, would ask in such a situation, the first question: "Who is your master? Is it Feng Tingchen?"

Feng Xiaose's face instantly darkened. He hated it when people linked him to Feng Tingchen, especially as the first formal exchange. "What if it is?"

"Oh?" This answer surprised Xu Xiaoshou. This person, really a disciple of Feng Tingchen, one of the Seven Sword Immortals? That wouldn't be easy to deal with; primarily, he was afraid of hitting the young one and having an elder step out.

"Since you're Feng Tingchen's disciple, I, Xu, will give him some face. Get lost. Next time, remember not to casually draw your sword against me. There's nothing for you here for now. Disappear immediately!" Xu Xiaoshou waved his hand, choosing to sheathe his swords and stand.

Li Fugui's heart sank, thinking, *This isn't good*. Feng Xiaose wasn't someone who would appreciate such a gesture. Sure enough, when he turned to look, Feng Xiaose's face was already as dark as charcoal. From childhood, he was always the one saying similar things to others. Hearing such words from someone else's mouth today felt like a mockery. Most crucially, the person opposite him was just a young man. At such an age... how dare he?!

"Myriad Sword Art!" Feng Xiaose raised the spiritual sword in his hand. With a hum, the void vibrated, transforming into countless ethereal small swords. Today, he would test the authenticity of this Sword Dao Disc! He didn't believe that such a young junior could truly comprehend the second realm of a sword art. Xu Xiaoshou was best at deception!

"Wave Overlap Style!" With a whoosh, the Myriad Swords shifted direction, converging on Xu Xiaoshou, surging wildly like a tide, wave after wave.

"Amusing." Xu Xiaoshou, standing on the Sword Dao Disc, saw through how this move was formed almost instantly. He found it absurd. The Sword Dao Disc had already been revealed. Even if the opponent had good eyesight and saw that this profound disc wasn't *that* dazzling. But if he wasn't stupid, he should know that ordinary Myriad Sword Art couldn't possibly contend with this Sword Dao Disc, right? No matter how much he wanted to fight... if he didn't reveal a First Realm technique, could he possibly win?

"Myriad Sword Art!" Xu Xiaoshou's eyes also sharpened, his aura burst forth, and countless ethereal small swords similarly erupted behind him. He didn't know the Myriad Sword Art. But standing on the Sword Dao Disc and seeing Feng Xiaose's Myriad Sword Art, it was just as he had previously thought. This kind of thing, you just needed to see it once, and you learned it.

"Wave Overlap Style!" The same sword art, the same sword move. Feng Xiaose's sword move had just formed, but in an instant, Xu Xiaoshou perfectly replicated it. Standing on the Sword Dao Disc, he truly felt like the Son of the Sword Dao. Whatever he desired, he could do!

"This is impossible—" Feng Xiaose looked at the mirror-like sword move opposite him, his eyeballs nearly popping out. He had only learned basic sword dao knowledge from Feng Tingchen. The rest of his sword moves were all self-created. Within a battle, no matter how high the opponent's sword dao talent, they shouldn't be able to replicate it on the spot, right? This would require a sword dao mastery many times higher than his own to accomplish; Feng Tingchen himself would have to come! But now... such an outrageous and absurd thing had truly happened! Xu Xiaoshou had replicated Feng Xiaose's sword move. If it had been secretly learned from somewhere, admiring Feng Xiaose's reputation, that would have been fine. But if he had truly replicated it on the spot...

"Boom!"

Sea waves overlapped, crashing violently. Feng Xiaose's thoughts were completely interrupted. He saw that Xu Xiaoshou's sword move was almost identical to his own, perfectly replicated in technique, intent, and momentum. Just then, the young man opposite him smiled.

"So that's how it is!" "If your momentum is only this much, then it's far from enough."

The next second, You Si Sword and Yan Mang soared into the sky. Myriad Swords regenerated. Overwhelming momentum gathered once more. The Myriad Sword Art was all about "momentum." Feng Xiaose had never seen anyone below the Half-Saint realm possess such absurd "momentum" as the young man before him. When Xu Xiaoshou's two swords transformed, leading two more layers of "Wave Overlap Style" to strike, Feng Xiaose was completely overwhelmed.

"Bang!"

With one strike, his Wave Overlap Style completely disintegrated, utterly routed. The opponent's Myriad Sword Art, launched later, was, in terms of momentum alone, even stronger than Feng Xiaose's sword, which he had practiced for decades!

"Myriad Sword Art..." How could Feng Xiaose tolerate being defeated by a junior in the path of ancient sword cultivation? The moment the ethereal Myriad Swords collapsed, he immediately shifted his momentum, muttering to himself, joining two fingers, and issuing a command to the heavens. As his eyes changed, Feng Xiaose's entire aura sharply escalated, almost rivaling the opponent's, even showing signs of surpassing it!

Golden... it spread across the entire field!

As Xu Xiaoshou's triple Wave Overlap Style struck, the Myriad Swords above Feng Xiaose's head transformed into noble, imperial gold, countering it.

"Absolute Imperial Decree!"

With a roar, the void shattered, and ancient buildings suddenly collapsed. Xu Xiaoshou's triple Wave Overlap Style was like paper, instantly shattered under the suppressing power of the Myriad Sword Art's First Realm. The Myriad Swords that had formed the collapsing wave-like torrent were held back by the golden torrent, then surged towards Xu Xiaoshou. Using his own sword against him! Even without using the power of the ghost beast, Feng Xiaose, at this moment, saw victory beckoning to him.

The Southern Domain's Feng Family cultivated the Myriad Sword Art, cultivating its momentum. Even if he had already defected from the Feng Family, among those of the same cultivation level, in terms of using the Myriad Sword Art, he proudly claimed second place, with no one daring to claim first. However, it was precisely then that Feng Xiaose saw the young man opposite him's mouth curve upwards again.

"Has it finally arrived?" "I've waited for this realm for too long!"

Xu Xiaoshou, standing on the Sword Dao Disc, watched Feng Xiaose's showy demonstration of the Myriad Sword Art's First Realm—Absolute Imperial Decree—from beginning to end. Under the effect of the special passive skill "Unity of Heaven and Man," he saw not only the external appearance of the sword but also the incredibly clear flow of Dao principles and the true essence of the sword. What is "Myriad"? A single entity cannot stand alone; many together make a myriad! What is "momentum"? Many trees form a forest; a multitude creates momentum!

Feng Xiaose had finished teaching the sword art with a smile, and even thoughtfully asked himself, "Did you learn it?" Xu Xiaoshou also smiled. What was the Sword Dao Disc for? How could anyone standing on the Sword Dao Disc not learn a First Realm technique!

Under the gaze of everyone present, and Feng Xiaose's shocked stare, Xu Xiaoshou joined two fingers, his demeanor, actions, and words almost identical to Feng Xiaose's just moments ago, and issued a command to the heavens.

"Myriad Sword Art..."

With a hum, the void behind him cracked and shimmered, transforming into endless, glittering golden Myriad Swords. The Myriad Swords pulsed, their blades pointing directly at the incoming golden torrent. However, unlike Feng Xiaose, Xu Xiaoshou innovated, integrating the Half-Saint level "Swallowing Mountains and Rivers" into his first execution of the Myriad Sword Art's First Realm.

In that instant, Feng Xiaose felt as if a giant named "Sword Dao" had risen before his eyes. It stomped on the golden torrent he had just unleashed, then casually flung it, creating a sky-filling waterfall of golden light. It was roaring! It was crying out in pain! It was perfectly demonstrating what "momentum" was, what "absolute" was, what "imperial dominance" was!

A golden light flashed in Xu Xiaoshou's eyes. He gently pointed his conjoined fingers forward, steadily pressing down towards where Feng Xiaose's head was, his voice as light as a cloud:

"Absolute Imperial Decree."