Chapter 1170: Please Accept My Approval, Let Me Join the Holy Slave

"The Human Transformation Trick," Zhu Yike grinned, revealing his uneven teeth, his face beaming. "But you must first remove the demonic aura of the Four Swords and give me the person. Only then can I conjure another person for you."

So magical? Or was he referring to his demonic art, the Star Shift technique?

Xu Xiaoshou thought for a moment, then nodded silently.

But Ruan Ping wasn't dead yet. He couldn't simply remove the demonic aura; the man's soul was still struggling. Ruan Ping was on the verge of death, but if the demonic aura of the Four Swords was removed, there was no guarantee he wouldn't find a way to escape. After all, this was the Grand Void! With this thought, Xu Xiaoshou spun his foot, retracting the imposing Sword Dao Disc.

Just as Feng Xiaoxiao, Li Fugui, and Zhu Yike looked on in confusion, they saw a faint glow swirl beneath Xu Xiaoshou's foot, manifesting a brand new Mystery Array Diagram!

"What?" Feng Xiaoxiao's face stiffened. "Is this kid a monster? Do his Mystery Array Diagrams come for free? This must be a fake!"

"Spirit Dao Disc!"

The Spirit Dao Disc, one of the three foundational discs of the Grand Dao Disc, brings about a state of unity between heaven and man when activated. Xu Xiaoshou ignored the others, immediately entering a state of spiritual clarity.

He had initially intended to finish Ruan Ping's soul with a single move. But he suddenly realized that even with his Ghost Sword Art and his comprehension of the Red Ghost Seal, he would still need to summon Void General Hong to slay Ruan Ping at this moment.

"Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut?" If A-Hong appeared now, it would be too undignified. So Xu Xiaoshou changed his mind, thinking of the "Spirit Dao Disc" within his new Grand Dao Disc, which perfectly suited his immediate needs.

Even though he possessed very few soul attack methods and no one could demonstrate soul attack techniques for him at this moment, the moment the Spirit Dao Disc was activated, Xu Xiaoshou felt an incredible affinity for the path of the soul. He had accessed the soul memories of many Grand Voids. When it came to soul offense and defense, the Abnormality's abilities were undoubtedly the most bizarre and mystical.

Previously, he had only a few fragmented insights into soul attack methods, rendering them unusable. Now, with the Spirit Dao Disc active, Xu Xiaoshou felt enlightened; he could now utilize sixty to seventy percent of its techniques, even without transforming into an Abnormality via the Imitator. However, Xu Xiaoshou was not content with merely replicating the Abnormality's abilities. Under "Unity of Heaven and Man," all insights related to the soul became his own, and Xu Xiaoshou gained his own unique understanding.

He wanted to integrate his own techniques into soul offense and defense, so he could use them even without activating the Spirit Dao Disc in the future!

"Sword Will."

The first flash of inspiration in his mind concerned the application of Sword Will. Previously, Xu Xiaoshou had never seen anyone use Sword Will to damage a soul, but he understood that the essence of Sword Will was to pierce through divine consciousness. The essence of piercing divine consciousness, in turn, was the combination of qi, intent, and form, manifesting abstract spiritual will into physical attacks.

Now, by abandoning its external manifestations and only using its abstract spiritual will to attack Ruan Ping's abstract, undefended soul, could such an attack also be effective?

"Yes!"

Without needing instruction, the Grand Dao provided the answer. With the Spirit Dao Disc activated, Xu Xiaoshou instantly had an idea. The ghost seal in his eyes lit up, he joined his fingers, and Sword Will imbued them.

As the Spirit Dao Disc beneath his feet suddenly swirled and brightened, Xu Xiaoshou's mind simultaneously flashed with the Ghost Sword Art once performed by Mr. Yi, and the Abnormality's insights into the path of the soul. "The sword art is called Ghost. The way of the Ghost: Yin and Yang create barriers, the prison gate is sealed. Now the sword opens the gate, and a hundred ghosts walk at night." A sword can open the gates between the Yin and Yang realms. And the application of the Ghost Sword Art is inherently linked to manipulating the soul.

Traces of these could also be found within the Abnormality's abilities. All chaos seemed to become orderly at this moment! The Sword Mastery knowledge base contained not only the Ghost Sword Art but also all the underlying principles of sword arts applied to the soul.

At this moment, they were all invoked. Like a guiding immortal, Xu Xiaoshou, with miraculous skill, pointed a finger forward.

"Xu Xiaoshou!" Ruan Ping's soul, swollen and filled with demonic aura, still cried out unwillingly. At this moment, Xu Xiaoshou, with the Spirit Dao Disc activated, could clearly hear his soul's voice. "Spare me! Let me go; we have no grudges." "I never intended to kill you; it was just a killer's instinct that recognized you. We can simply let bygones be bygones..."

The two fingers imbued with Sword Will pierced into the throat of Ruan Ping's soul, and the corresponding spot on his physical body instantly turned black.

Feng Xiaoxiao's lips twitched. As an ancient sword cultivator, he immediately recognized that Xu Xiaoshou was using the very Sword Will for which the Eighth Sword Immortal was renowned. Moreover, his Sword Will was combined with the Ghost Sword Art, indicating that this young man's mastery of the Ghost Sword Art was clearly not superficial either. But the most crucial thing was: why did all his moves look so raw? As if he were trying them for the first time?

Was he truly using Sword Will through the Ghost Sword Art for the very first time? And using a Grand Void's soul as a test subject? Or was it all simply about torturing the man?

"Agh—" Ruan Ping's shrill soul screams continued, like the wails of a vengeful ghost. He wanted to resist; he also cultivated the path of the soul. If he were at full strength, he could now break free from Xu Xiaoshou's restraint and counterattack.

But having been pierced by the Four Swords and invaded by the demonic aura, Ruan Ping felt agonizing needle-like pain throughout his body whenever he tried to summon even a little soul energy. The strength he had painstakingly accumulated would also be disrupted by chaotic thoughts, and even backfire on him due to his semi-demonic state.

"Kill me!" Ruan Ping shrieked, his soul's face contorted in agony. "Xu Xiaoshou, you will die a terrible death!" "Xiao An will avenge me! For the rest of your life, under the shadow of the Three Incense, you will never know peace!"

"Ah—"

Xu Xiaoshou's "Ghost Ten-Stage Sword Finger" plunged into Ruan Ping's forehead, and he grinned. "Three Incense?" "The Night Owl who issued the Black Gold bounty for you... I imagine he's probably dead by now too." "As for the people of the Three Incense, if one comes, I'll kill one; if two come, I'll kill a pair."

Bang! Bang! Ruan Ping's soul suddenly expanded, his body cracking open, overflowing with intense energy fluctuations, like a balloon suddenly filled with air and about to burst. Zhu Yike's body shimmered with starlight, his eyes holding a dim, ethereal glow. He could see Xu Xiaoshou torturing Ruan Ping's soul before him and warned, "Watch out for the self-detonation."

Did Xu Xiaoshou, with the Spirit Dao Disc activated, need a warning? Ruan Ping's soul had barely made any move, but he had already perceived the energy flow throughout it, even learning the soul self-detonation technique instantly. Of course, he couldn't use this move himself.

But a Grand Void's soul self-detonation was no small matter, and Xu Xiaoshou's mind raced, trying to figure out how to stop it. "If my soul strength could be as strong as my physical body, I would fear nothing." "And if all my abilities could be used for soul defense, then I could remain unmoved even by a Grand Void's soul self-detonation." Previously, without the Spirit Dao Disc, Xu Xiaoshou wouldn't even dare to dream of such things. Now, with just a small attempt, he could even use Sword Will in the manner of the Ghost Sword Art to attack souls.

What about other abilities? This seemed to be an entirely new direction. The Grand Dao Disc was incredibly powerful! Its appearance completely changed Xu Xiaoshou's fighting style, combat mindset, and even his combat presentation. It contained too much. The Grand Dao Disc was not merely a standalone "one," nor was it parallel to passive skills. On the contrary, everything Xu Xiaoshou had previously mastered could be combined with the Grand Dao Disc, evolving into countless new, enhanced "twos," "threes," and even "infinity."

If possible, Xu Xiaoshou wanted to sit down right now, exchange for an Essence Dao Seed, and place it on the Spirit Dao Disc. He believed he could instantly comprehend many things. But at the moment, there was clearly no time for such thoughts.

The exploding balloon, Ruan Ping, was right in front of him. Xu Xiaoshou's immediate priority was survival! "If I could just crush him directly, then I wouldn't even need to think about survival or escape..."

As this thought flashed, Mr. Yi's Ghost Sword Art teachings resurfaced in his mind. At the time, the old sword immortal had only mentioned a few words: the Red Ghost Seal's contractual combat methods involved not just summoning, but also synchronization. Mr. Yi had never taught anything about "synchronization" combat. Xu Xiaoshou hadn't fully understood it before, but now with the Spirit Dao Disc activated, he seemed to be able to comprehend some of it. He didn't not know this method; he simply couldn't recall it—they had always been dormant in his Sword Mastery knowledge base!

The scene where Gu Qingyi, facing his junior disciple who dared to utter a sacred name, had no choice but to summon the Ten Crippled Sword Ghosts' power to possess him, using it to resist the sacred might, suddenly appeared in his mind—that was it! "A-Hong!" Xu Xiaoshou's eyes lit up, having understood something else.

This special passive skill, "Unity of Heaven and Man," truly had incredibly strong invisible auxiliary abilities! When in this state, Xu Xiaoshou felt like a genius with maxed-out comprehension!

"Battle!" In the soul space, Void General Hong opened his eyes in response.

The faint glow of the dark small sword in Xu Xiaoshou's eyes gathered towards his brow, turning blood-red. The Spirit Dao Disc beneath his feet suddenly brightened. Xu Xiaoshou used the Ghost Sword Art as his technique and soul communication as his method.

He suddenly felt that his soul had become the focal point of his mental will, capable of transcending the limitations of the physical body and directly resonating with A-Hong's thoughts. "Give me strength!"

This was a command! Void General Hong, who only knew to "fight" relentlessly, had always been slow to respond to his master Xu Xiaoshou's commands. At this moment, however, it seemed to have instantly received it. "Battle!"

In the soul space, A-Hong stood up, majestic soul energy surging from its body. These immensely powerful saint-level energies, guided by the Spirit Dao Disc and the contractual connection, flowed into Xu Xiaoshou's body without any obstruction.

"Boom!"

Ruan Ping's soul finally couldn't withstand the torment of the Four Swords' demonic aura. With a booming sound, it exploded. In an instant, an invisible soul storm erupted across tens of miles around the Giant Kingdom. This storm almost materialized, causing the air on the long street to flutter without wind, then suddenly crumble apart.

"Myriad Ghosts Suppress Spirits!" Feng Xiaoxiao turned his body to the side, and a dark small sword flashed in his eyes. Myriad Void Swords appeared, first golden, then turning dark green. The myriad swords transformed into specters, howling as they suppressed and intercepted the soul storm before him. Feng Xiaoxiao, thus, remained unflinching even as the area crumbled around him.

Li Fugui's face also changed dramatically; he formed a hand seal. "Qi Annihilation Art!" With a hiss, his physical body and soul suddenly turned into void qi, merging into the soul storm and moving with the wind. After the storm passed, his figure solidified again, completely unaffected.

"Solid as a Fortress!" Zhu Yike's response was extremely decisive; he bit his fingertip and drew a talisman. As the starlight blood character talisman formed, his body transformed into pure gold, instantly losing all signs of life. The soul storm swept past, destroying all spirits on the street, but Zhu Yike remained motionless, like a lifeless corpse. "Click."

After the storm passed, a cracking sound came from Zhu Yike's golden form. He grinned, revealing his canine teeth as the golden light faded and his vitality returned. Mu Zixi watched in confusion from behind as the three Grand Voids suddenly made their moves simultaneously, then she suddenly felt a wind blow through the long street.

The eerie wind carried a bone-chilling cold, causing people to shiver. But it only chilled them for a moment! Mu Zixi felt as if her Divine Demonic Pupils had passively activated for a moment, but she didn't perceive anything specific; the strange sensation had already passed. "Did something happen?"

"Why does everyone look as if they're facing a formidable enemy?" In truth, the fluctuations from Ruan Ping's soul self-detonation had been almost entirely nullified by Feng Xiaoxiao and Zhu Yike's layered suppressions. This could be inferred from the fact that Mu Zixi didn't even feel a strong premonition, only sensing an eerie wind brush past her face.

Mu Zixi was careful, always concealing her Divine Demonic Pupils, not daring to reveal them, wanting to avoid unnecessary trouble. Therefore, her wood attribute couldn't perceive Ruan Ping's soul. She had been staring at Ruan Ping's limp, motionless corpse in Xu Xiaoshou's hand. Hmm, a moment ago there was still some vitality to absorb; he wasn't completely dead. Now, all vitality was gone! What did Xu Xiaoshou do to completely kill him? He really did get stronger, which is why he's so arrogant...

"I don't understand, but that's normal," Mu Zixi thought, her eyes wide and unblinking despite the strain, trying to appear as if she understood everything perfectly. "It's like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each displaying their unique powers."

Ruan Ping's sudden soul explosion didn't deal much damage, but it allowed Xu Xiaoshou to clearly see the abilities of the remaining few people present. Feng Xiaoxiao, Li Fugui, and Zhu Yike—all three were extraordinary! A Grand Void's soul self-detonation seemed like child's play to them.

Xu Xiaoshou could see that Feng Xiaoxiao was using the abilities of Myriad Sword Art and Ghost Sword Art. Li Fugui had a special "Qi" attribute, and from his ability usage, this guy also had an understanding of the soul's path; he was clearly not an ordinary intelligence officer. Xu Xiaoshou still couldn't understand this guy! His attacks showed hardly any trace of elemental power; they were all strange, mysterious techniques, full of insights into Dao principles. A man who fought with "Dao" had extremely tricky angles of attack.

How to put it? Truly a genius from the Southern Domain, his unorthodox methods were endless! Xu Xiaoshou secretly observed the three.

These three were also observing Xu Xiaoshou. "Not a single move, yet completely unharmed?" Feng Xiaoxiao was silent, Li Fugui's eyes narrowed, and Zhu Yike's eyes almost overflowed with stars. As the first one to be impacted in the eye of the storm, Xu Xiaoshou was completely fine! In their eyes, Xu Xiaoshou's current state was: his soul body had become extraordinarily strong, muscular, and imbued with dense saint-level power.

It was even clad in tattered black and red armor, and the overflowing soul energy was hundreds of times that of Ruan Ping during his self-detonation! "He resisted the Grand Void's self-detonation attack with just his soul body, without even a trace of damage... Is he faking it? Or did he truly absorb it all?" "No! It's the Red Ghost Seal! At that instant, he clearly invoked the power of the Red Ghost Seal!"

"As expected, he still has most of his abilities hidden." "Sword Dao Mystery Array Diagram." At this moment, many thoughts flashed through Feng Xiaoxiao's mind; he found that for the first time, he couldn't see through a young man.

Perhaps, if this kid were to truly reveal the Myriad Sword Art or the second realm of the Ghost Sword Art now, Feng Xiaoxiao wouldn't be surprised. "Xu Xiaoshou, it's truly you!" Unlike Feng Xiaoxiao's murmur, Zhu Yike almost didn't hide his admiration, exclaiming aloud.

He looked at Ruan Ping's corpse. "If you'd like, I can perform the transforming-a-person trick for you again right now." Xu Xiaoshou was amused.

He had completely obliterated Ruan Ping to prevent any unforeseen circumstances. Now, keeping a dead body was of no great use, so giving it away was fine. "Then it's yours."

With a casual toss, Ruan Ping's corpse flew through the air. Feng Xiaoxiao, Li Fugui, and even Mu Zixi, who couldn't understand any of this, simultaneously turned their gazes to Zhu Yike, the intended recipient. No one present could decipher this person's ability, even after witnessing it more than once. Facing Ruan Ping's thrown corpse, Zhu Yike didn't reach out to catch it. Instead, he bit the tip of another finger and wrote in the air.

"It just costs a bit of blood," Xu Xiaoshou muttered silently, "but it's very powerful!" As he watched, Xu Xiaoshou suddenly thought of something.

Among his ten Grand Dao Discs, there was one called the "Art Dao Disc." This seemed to be because his past self had poor comprehension, forcing him to create his own spirit skills, which led to the development of such a Dao at the Throne Dao Realm. From the various acquired and innate techniques like Net Sword Style, Deflection Sword Style, and Western Wind withering snow, all the way to the height of the Saint-Five Fingerprint Seed Art. Along the way, Xu Xiaoshou had created many killing moves. His Art Dao Disc encompassed everything, not based on attributes, but existing solely for techniques and spirit skills.

If he stepped on the Art Dao Disc, could he then see through Zhu Yike's ability, or even secretly learn it? "Art Dao Disc!" Acting on his thought, Xu Xiaoshou's Mystery Array Diagram beneath his feet changed again, from the Spirit Dao Disc to the Art Dao Disc. This change genuinely surprised Feng Xiaoxiao and Li Fugui again.

"Again?" "How many kinds of Mystery abilities has this kid comprehended?" "So this isn't a Mystery Array Diagram at all! Is it some other kind of spirit skill?" If there was only one Sword Dao Mystery Array Diagram, along with the title "Saint Slave Xu Xiaoshou," perhaps Feng Xiaoxiao and Li Fugui could accept that possibility. But again and again, three different Mystery Array Diagrams appeared consecutively.

What was going on? Even the Eighth Sword Immortal couldn't do this! Zhu Yike remained relatively calm. His attention was not drawn away by the Mystery Array Diagram beneath Xu Xiaoshou's feet; instead, he focused on himself.

Similarly, with his left hand gripping the Grand Dao rules, his right hand formed a spell seal. "Stealing Heaven, Changing Sun!" This time, Xu Xiaoshou's eyes widened.

He saw it clearly! With the blessing of the Art Dao Disc and Unity of Heaven and Man, he clearly saw the Dao principles flowing! The Grand Dao in Zhu Yike's left hand briefly dimmed; this seemed to be an ability to deceive rules?

The next second, time and space seemed to fall into disarray. This was not the application of time or space rules; it was simply a technique, and Xu Xiaoshou saw a light illuminate Li Fugui's body. Something seemed off? There was no time to think; as that light resonated from afar, connecting with another beam of light from a distant location.

The scene blurred, and the rules seemed to have generated some error. "Buzz!" The Dao principles vibrated, and everyone felt the scene warp, followed by Li Fugui's disappearance!

Wait? Li Fugui? Feng Xiaoxiao was momentarily stunned for a second, then suddenly realized it was the person beside him who had vanished. Only when he turned to see Ruan Ping's corpse hit Zhu Yike's head, eliciting a yelp of pain from him, did he completely confirm it. It was true! Ruan Ping was still there, but Li Fugui was gone!

Yet, with Li Fugui gone, the number of people present hadn't decreased. Feng Xiaoxiao's pupils constricted as he looked at the person beside him whose spatial image still showed Li Fugui's afterimage. In just a blink of an eye, the afterimage shattered like foam. Ruan An, already transformed into an ice sculpture, stood where Li Fugui had been!

"Ruan An!"

Feng Xiaoxiao's face changed drastically. He watched the entire process with wide eyes, but completely failed to understand it. Yet Zhu Yike had truly swapped the person back. Ruan Ping had delayed for so long for his brother, even self-detonating his soul. During this time, how far could a Grand Void-level assassin escape at full speed? Everyone knew the measure!

Yet, under such absurd and utterly outrageous circumstances... an accident occurred! The focused Li Fugui had no time to prepare or resist before he was swapped away; Ruan An, who had fled to an unknown location, had returned, covered in a layer of ice. What kind of mystical ability was this?

Feng Xiaoxiao himself hailed from the Southern Domain, but he was still utterly bewildered by Zhu Yike's techniques. "Xu, Xu..." Zhu Yike pushed away Ruan Ping's corpse, which had fallen on him, his face flushed, and pointed at the ice sculpture, stammering loudly.

He stammered, unable to utter Xu Xiaoshou's name for a long time. "No need for 'Xu,' he's thoroughly dead; his corpse is cold," Xu Xiaoshou said, silently watching him. Zhu Yike immediately froze. After carefully sensing, his finger remained pointed at the ice sculpture, his face turning solemn.

Ruan An was truly dead! The Grand Void who had been swapped over should have reacted immediately, erupting in strong resistance. This situation could only be suppressed by having the Four Swords pierce him. But what was with the ice sculpture? Zhu Yike understood better than anyone present that his ability was merely a swap. Swapping Li Fugui away was accidental, caused by Xu Xiaoshou's three layers of Mystery Array Diagrams, which led him to misdirect the swap in his haste.

But this so-called ice sculpture had nothing to do with him. Ruan An's death had absolutely nothing to do with Zhu Yike!

"Chirp—" A sharp cry suddenly drifted from the sky, as a colossal white ferret flew over. In its claws, it clutched a trembling Li Fugui, who dared not resist in the slightest. "Brother Chen, during the fight, the person suddenly changed. It's quite rare." "But it doesn't matter, this guy was also trying to escape. He's definitely hiding something. I've caught him; should I execute him now?"

Feng Xiaoxiao and Zhu Yike looked up, their pupils trembling violently. An Ice-element Half-Saint! When did an Ice-element Half-Saint appear on the scene?

The "Brother Chen" this guy mentioned, was he referring to Xu Xiaoshou? Impossible! Was Xu Xiaoshou so extravagant that he had a Half-Saint working for him? Feng Xiaoxiao's heart ran cold.

He recalled his earlier encounter with Xu Xiaoshou; had he already walked through the gates of hell once? Zhu Yike stared blankly at the Ice-element Half-Saint ferret, then glanced at Xu Xiaoshou, then back at the ferret, then back at Xu Xiaoshou...

He blinked vigorously, as if crushing the stars in his eyes, and slapped his face, forcing himself to calm down.

"Put him down for now."

Xu Xiaoshou retracted the Art Dao Disc; he had seen Zhu Yike's ability in action but couldn't replicate it. Because the Dao Zhu Yike comprehended was clearly beyond him. He waved his hand, and Lord Han released Li Fugui, shrinking instantly into a well-behaved and adorable little pet, and darted into Mu Zixi's arms.

This made Feng Xiaoxiao's heart twitch. Li Fugui reacted similarly, his eyes wide as he stared at the little creature in the young girl's arms. This, was a Half-Saint?

Just now, he had watched the entire scene from the back, never making a move? Wait! When did he disappear?

Mu Zixi frowned, displeased at being stared at, and snapped, "What are you staring at? If you want one, go catch your own!" What did she say? This left Feng Xiaoxiao and Li Fugui utterly baffled again; even Zhu Yike was dumbfounded.

Raise? A Half-Saint, as a pet? "One"? You use the measure word "one (for animals)" to refer to a Half-Saint? Wouldn't such nonsense get you killed?

However, the three watched wide-eyed as the Ice-element Half-Saint, now a small white ferret, whimpered contentedly and showed a satisfied, comfortable expression under the impertinent girl's soothing strokes. "Slap!" Feng Xiaoxiao slapped himself hard, his face turning red.

After confirming that he wasn't hallucinating, he sharply averted his gaze, not daring to look further, his expression shifting. What had he just seen? This was something that could cost lives, wasn't it? Wasn't it agreed that Saints must not be insulted?

How could there be a Half-Saint willingly acting as a pet for a young girl? What had happened in this world that he didn't know about? Xu Xiaoshou paid no mind to these matters.

After confirming that Ruan An had been killed by Lord Han, he ignored the others and first looked at Zhu Yike, who had shown him favor more than once. "Your name is Zhu Yike?"

"Yes!" Zhu Yike nodded repeatedly, stars in his eyes, saliva already drooling from his overlapping canine teeth. "Why did you help me?" Xu Xiaoshou asked calmly. He instinctively resisted inexplicable goodwill.

"Hold on for a second." Zhu Yike wiped away his drool, turned around, picked up the ice sculpture of Ruan An beside him, and slammed his knees to the ground with a thud, prostrating himself before Xu Xiaoshou, holding the ice sculpture high above his head. "This is my pledge of allegiance!" "Zhu Yike has long admired the great name of Master Shou, the Saint Slave. Please grant your approval, Master Shou, and allow me to join the Saint Slaves!"