Chapter 1206: From beginning to end, you never had a chance

No one could have anticipated that Er Hao had kept such a trump card for himself.

As soon as his Jie Fang Tai activated, harnessing the rules of time and space through Tian Ji Shu, the entire battlefield was sealed off. No one could move, forced to watch helplessly as he evolved right before their eyes.

"Jie Fang Tai... Tian Ji God Envoy..."

"And... this kind of ability... too..."

Tian Ren Wu Shui's thoughts fragmented, rendering him unable to speak.

In the darkness of Sin One Hall, after Er Hao completed his transformation, a sacred light suddenly reflected in Tian Ren Wu Shui's dim eyes hidden beneath his mask.

He tried to reach out, to touch that layer of blinding, pure white light so close at hand.

But with the Dao principles collapsing and Tian Ji Shu's seal in place, he couldn't move, only staring dumbly as Er Hao shifted from human form into a divine stance.

"So beautiful..." His fingers trembled.

Exerting every last bit of his strength, Tian Ren Wu Shui still couldn't lift his hand.

The distance right before his eyes felt like an insurmountable chasm, impossibly far away.

In that moment, Er Hao was like an angel of the mortal realm, embodying absolute justice, the future, and hope. "And I..."

The light in Tian Ren Wu Shui's eyes faded.

He knew that as a denizen of Yan Wang, he was nothing but a filthy rat, representing dirt and ugliness, a doomed lone star of calamity that could never change.

One was heaven, the other earth—clearly divided, high and low. One was yang, the other yin—day and night cycling, never to intersect.

Tian Ren Wu Shui's eyelids half-closed with a tremor, a fleeting glint of envy and regret passing through his eyes. Who had never yearned for daylight and light?

Boom!

Under Jie Fang Tai, Tian Ji God Envoy Er Hao's light wings fluttered, unleashing a burst of air that shattered the temporal-spatial lock of Tian Ji Shu in an instant.

"Jie Fang Tai is Jie Fang Tai, so why make me say all this lengthy nonsense? I have my own spirit, you know." Er Hao murmured.

Tian Ren Wu Shui and Xu Xiao Shou both felt their bodies and thoughts synchronize, allowing them to move again.

"Dis..."

Without further thought, Tian Ren Wu Shui's first glance went to Xu Xiao Shou, and he roared sharply.

"Disappear technique!"

Xu Xiao Shou immediately chose self-preservation, not disappointing Tian Ren Wu Shui—this kid was indeed incredibly survival-oriented.

Er Hao swung his Sheng Cai Zhi Jian, its speed astonishingly fast, but it only sliced through Xu Xiao Shou's afterimage, missing the one who had vanished.

With a hiss, the void ripped open, scorched by Zu Yuan Zhi Li, leaving the mark of the Sheng Cai Zhi Jian's strike.

"Divine power!"

"No, this is still the purifying power within divine power?"

Tian Ren Wu Shui's scalp tingled. This Sheng Cai Zhi Jian, refined from Zu Yuan Zhi Li in perfect balance of quality and quantity, could likely obliterate an ordinary Ban Sheng's avatar with a single strike!

"You're quite knowledgeable." Er Hao glanced over, his light wings fluttering again. Oh no!

Tian Ren Wu Shui didn't have a disappear technique.

He knew full well that his combat instincts couldn't even match Er Hao, who rarely engaged in battle. How could he handle Jie Fang Tai Tian Ji God Envoy?

With that thought, Tian Ren Wu Shui merged his form into the Great Dao of Death, attempting to escape the area. Sss!

A searing pain erupted in his chest, interrupting his movement.

He looked down in shock to see Er Hao's Sheng Cai Zhi Jian, which had somehow sliced from his left shoulder toward his vulnerable right waist.

The aura of decay was instantly purified.

It couldn't even form properly, let alone aid in regenerating his body.

Yet the wound in his flesh and organs solidified in an instant after the strike, as if someone had seared it with a red-hot iron, cauterizing it into scars.

"Ugh... ahhh!"

Tian Ren Wu Shui's face twisted beneath his mask, letting out a agonized howl.

The purifying power of divine essence had an innate suppression on his physique and abilities.

Not only did it prevent his wounds from healing, it amplified the pain tenfold and seeped into his qi sea, inhibiting the mobilization of his Sheng force.

Buzz!

The Blood World Pearl suddenly leaped from his head.

Overwhelmed by unbearable pain, Tian Ren Wu Shui seemed to lose control even of his Ban Sheng status.

His entire body exploded with auras of decay, death, and ghost beast power, manifesting into various strange and eerie scenes.

"Ugh... ugh... aahh..."

A hoarse, inhuman sound escaped his throat, while his eyes flashed with multiple shades of struggle.

Gah!

A three-legged black owl suddenly burst from his left shoulder, only to be crushed by his own palm, dissolving into decaying mist.

"This..."

In his vanished state, Xu Xiao Shou watched in horror, his hair standing on end.

Could Jie Fang Tai's Tian Ji God Envoy really push Tian Ren Wu Shui to the brink of losing control with just one sword? How powerful was that?

How were they supposed to fight this? "Damn it, damn it..."

Though Tian Ren Wu Shui was nearing a breakdown, Xu Xiao Shou saw it clearly:

After Er Hao's sword strike, he flapped his light wings again, thrusting the Sheng Cai Zhi Jian straight toward Tian Ren Wu Shui's chest without hesitation.

"Tian Ren can't die."

"Lips and teeth depend on each other—I have to protect him!"

A flash of crimson crossed Xu Xiao Shou's eyes as his mental awakening triggered, but he gritted his teeth and chose to act.

"Roar!"

Just as Er Hao's Sheng Cai Zhi Jian was about to pierce Tian Ren Wu Shui's chest, a roar erupted from behind Er Hao, and the kuang bao ju ren appeared!

Almost simultaneously, Er Hao smirked, turned, and swung his sword.

"Ying..."

The air split, sound waves trembled.

In the distorted void under the powerful strike, the sacred light tore through the kuang bao ju ren's chest, streaking a white blaze toward the heavens.

With a hiss, the kuang bao ju ren dissipated into spiritual energy, destroyed.

"You bastard, you're really out to kill me!"

"Damn it!"

Still vanished, Xu Xiao Shou broke out in a cold sweat.

As soon as his mental awakening triggered, he realized his emotions had been influenced by the Blood World Pearl. So, he quickly changed plans, sending out a drawing of the kuang bao ju ren instead of his true self.

It was a gamble with his life!

The drawing avatar had almost no attack power, so he was betting on Tian Ren Wu Shui's survival!

But he never expected...

Er Hao wielded his sword, not at Tian Ren Wu Shui, but aimed at Xu Xiao Shou!

This guy was prioritizing forcing him out of his vanished state.

"Run!"

"Don't worry about me!"

Seizing the momentary respite, Tian Ren Wu Shui burst away, shouting furiously at Xu Xiao Shou, who had vanished from the area. They couldn't win!

Even if Tian Ren Wu Shui advanced from false Sheng to true Sheng, he might not beat this. The title of strongest Ban Sheng wasn't empty.

Better to escape separately than stay for pointless "mutual aid."

At least Tian Ren Wu Shui knew he had no more tricks up his sleeve.

But Xu Xiao Shou always managed to create miracles.

"How the hell do I run? Tell me how!"

Xu Xiao Shou cursed inwardly, but before he could move, he saw Er Hao swing his Sheng Cai Zhi Jian again and lift his head.

Er Hao's gaze locked onto the exact point where the drawing avatar of the kuang bao ju ren had emerged—Xu Xiao Shou's position!

"Under stealth attack, passive value +1."

Xu Xiao Shou's hairs stood on end, and he instinctively tried to step into the heavens to change position. But he was too slow; Er Hao, who was prepared, was faster.

"Seal." Er Hao glanced sideways.

Centered on the point where the drawing avatar had appeared, Tian Ji Dao patterns wove together within a hundred zhang, forming a prison on the ground.

"Exile." Er Hao kicked out.

With a rumble, the hundred-zhang cubic space shifted, its Dao principles unable to influence within, and Sheng force unable to interfere. Xu Xiao Shou's step into the heavens hit a wall, realizing this world had been exiled!

The space he was in was now perfectly separated from Sin One Hall, reduced to just a hundred zhang.

In such a small area, Er Hao could strike him with ease!

"Don't do this, give me a chance..."

As he flashed and hit the wall, Xu Xiao Shou instinctively pulled back to dodge the likely incoming attack, but quickly halted.

Sure enough, Er Hao swung his sword at the same time.

But he aimed not at the boundary point where vanished Xu Xiao Shou touched, but at the opposite side!

"He's predicting that after I hit the wall, I'd think he'd attack me, so I'd retreat, and then he'd strike behind me...

"He didn't expect that I thought of him thinking that..."

Xu Xiao Shou shivered as he extended a hand, wiping away the salty sweat sliding into his eyes, his mind racing wildly, ready to curse the ancestors of Dao Qiong Cang up and down eighteen generations.

What the hell was this thing?

Look at it—was this something a person could fight?

Strength and intellect, both flawless. One wrong thought in battle... and it was game over!

"Clever, truly clever."

Er Hao paused his assault, shaking his head with a sigh. "Maybe I should be a bit dumber. That might make it easier for you."

Whoosh! Whoosh!

No sooner had he spoken than he struck with two more swords.

The already reduced cubic space, now under seventy zhang from the previous strike, shrank further to just over three zhang.

Three zhang!

This size couldn't even fully accommodate the initial kuang bao ju ren.

In a flash, Er Hao had locked Xu Xiao Shou's position within such a tiny void. Turning his hand, clouds formed; flipping it, rain fell!

Everything was under his control!

Jie Fang Tai Tian Ji God Envoy had become a oppressive dark cloud, weighing down on Xu Xiao Shou and Tian Ren Wu Shui, making it hard to breathe.

After a brief pause, Er Hao raised his Sheng Cai Zhi Jian again, evoking utter despair.

"A way out! A way out!"

"There's no solution at all!"

Xu Xiao Shou clutched his head with both hands, racking his brains for a breakthrough, his face twisted in desperation. He couldn't even be sure if Er Hao's sword light could pierce his vanish technique and hurt him. He didn't dare test it.

In this three-zhang hot pot, he was like an ant being fried, invisible but on the verge of collapse.

"Roar!"

Suddenly, a ghost beast's roar exploded from behind.

Tian Ren Wu Shui, who had retreated to the farthest point, unfolded dark ghost beast wings upon seeing Xu Xiao Shou trapped in the three-zhang exiled space, wrapped in auras of decay and death, and charged back!

A black line streaked through the void.

Boosted by ghost beast power, Tian Ren Wu Shui arrived in an instant, positioning himself between Er Hao's Sheng Cai Zhi Jian and the three-zhang space.

This turn of events even stunned Er Hao.

"Why bother?"

Er Hao didn't understand. He truly couldn't fathom it.

The Sheng Nu and Yan Wang weren't forces with a life-or-death bond.

On the contrary, they had previously stayed out of each other's way, with little interaction.

Why would Yan Wang's Tian Ren Wu Shui go this far for Sheng Nu's Xu Xiao Shou?

While Er Hao focused on Xu Xiao Shou, Tian Ren Wu Shui should have abandoned his teammate and broken through space to escape alone. As a Ban Sheng, he should believe he could do that.

Even if he tried, in Er Hao's view, it would still be futile resistance. But turning back to seek death was completely unexpected!

"Do you have some leverage that fell into Xu Xiao Shou's hands, or did you two form an extremely costly Ban Sheng contract?"

Though puzzled and mocking, Er Hao didn't hesitate with his Sheng Cai Zhi Jian, striking again.

Whoosh!

The sacred light turned into a dazzling white blaze, instantly shattering Tian Ren Wu Shui's various defenses.

It obliterated the auras of decay, death, and even the ghost beast wings folded before his chest.

"Ugh... ahh!"

Tian Ren Wu Shui threw his head back in pain, gripping the sword light with both hands as it pushed him back, slamming him into the exiled space. His body convulsed violently, his back shattering under the immense force.

The sword light severed his arms and pierced his chest, nearly splitting him in two. Yet its momentum didn't wane, continuing toward the exiled space.

"Swallow!"

Tian Ren Wu Shui's face contorted ferociously as he flung his head back 180 degrees, almost snapping his neck, and opened his mouth to viciously suck in the sword light behind him.

With a hiss, the sacred light transformed into energy and was swallowed whole.

Er Hao's pupils contracted, his expression turning grave.

"Swallow!!"

Enduring the rampaging purifying power through his body, Tian Ren Wu Shui's eyes twitched beneath his mask as he sucked again. The exiled rule force attached to the space behind him also turned into energy and was ingested.

Er Hao's eyelids narrowed, his gaze turning ice-cold.

Tian Ren Wu Shui stared back at the three-zhang space with his head inverted, roaring furiously, his voice shaking the heavens: "Run!!"

"Under protection, passive value +1."

Xu Xiao Shou's eyes reddened and dazed, staring blankly at Tian Ren Wu Shui, who was looking back at him upside down—though he clearly couldn't see him—and his thoughts stalled.

Like Er Hao, he still didn't understand why Tian Ren Wu Shui would go this far for him. But...

The opportunity had been fought for!

Not to seize it would be an even greater disservice to Tian Ren Wu Shui.

"Break!"

He leaped forward.

With the exiled force swallowed, the space was no different from normal.

Xu Xiao Shou extended his limbs in mid-air, transforming into the kuang bao ju ren as he leaped ahead, dispelling his vanish technique. Vanish was useless now; under Jie Fang Tai Tian Ji God Envoy's suppression, it was as good as waiting to die.

But turning into the kuang bao ju ren and activating explosive stance, pulling out all his defensive measures—maybe, just maybe, he could withstand Er Hao's attack...

Whoosh!

As that thought crossed his mind, Xu Xiao Shou saw a flash of blinding white before his eyes, heard a piercing sound, and felt a faint pain in his chest. Er Hao had thrown his Sheng Cai Zhi Jian!

It was as if he had predicted it, hurling the sword toward a specific direction.

And the position where Xu Xiao Shou broke the space seal, enlarging into the kuang bao ju ren... was exactly where the sword landed!

Thud!

The void shook violently, cracking like a spiderweb.

Xu Xiao Shou's mind flashed like a lantern, recalling the time he had thrown four swords to kill Yu Ling Di.

Now, the roles were reversed... He was the one being thrown at, and Er Hao was the thrower!

"Xu Xiao Shou, it seems your assessment of me was wrong."

"I occasionally do things beyond 120% certainty, like prediction."

In the void, the sacred Tian Ji God Envoy strolled forward, speaking casually:

"It's not just you who can predict... My predictions, after calculations, might not even count as predictions in your eyes."

"In a crisis, people lose their ability to think. This landing point had a 70% chance of you appearing."

"Seems like that's enough."

Er Hao spoke calmly, withdrawing his gaze from the kuang bao ju ren nailed in the void, reaching out to grab another Sheng Cai Zhi Jian from the air.

He flapped his light wings, and before the dazed Tian Ren Wu Shui could react, he felt a pain in his chest. Lowering his head, he saw that he, too, had been struck.

Pfft!

Tian Ren Wu Shui spat blood, splattering his face.

Er Hao's eyes swept over the two figures of different sizes impaled by the swords, his expression utterly indifferent, as if dealing with the dead.

"From start to finish..."

"You never had a chance!"