Chapter 1212: Shit, I'll Blow It All Up for You

At the edge of Xu Kong Island.

Beneath the violently surging fog lay an abyss so vast it couldn't be fully seen from above.

The eerie winds howled, filling the area with chaotic forces more terrifying than space-time fragments and stretching into endless depths.

It seemed as if leaping from here would allow one to escape the troubles of Xu Kong Island and return to the warm embrace of Sheng Shen Continent.

Of course, that was impossible.

Because this place was called Duo Yuan.

As one of the nine great forbidden areas, Duo Yuan's danger on Xu Kong Island was unmatched.

The Sheng Shen Hall had even discovered the only safe passage from the outer island to the inner island below it... well, in the past. Now, the passage was gone, and Duo Yuan was filled with chaos.

Dressed in luxurious robes with pale golden hair, Yan Wuse stood atop Duo Yuan, his brows furrowed and his face stern. The roaring winds tousled his golden, slightly curly locks and made his golden robe flap wildly.

Yan Wuse remained unmoved, silently sensing the increasingly evident Lei Jie forces accumulating below Duo Yuan.

"Indeed, it's the same method as the Shen Hai Xu Kong Men."

"The same handiwork, so this little scheme must be the work of the Sheng Nu people, right? Ba Zun An, hmm!"

Yan Wuse snorted coldly, his face full of displeasure.

The last time he came, few on Xu Kong Island were undergoing tribulations, and he hadn't sensed any disturbance in Duo Yuan like this. He had almost been tricked into it.

But Yan Wuse didn't believe in bad luck.

He always felt that if something went wrong on Xu Kong Island, it would happen in places like Duo Yuan, where spatial passages to the inner island were hidden.

Sure enough, this time, after experiencing multiple Sheng Jie and Jiu Si Lei Jie on Xu Kong Island, Duo Yuan had shown abnormalities.

Yan Wuse had been observing here for a while.

Each time someone on the island underwent a tribulation, part of the Lei Jie force was absorbed by Duo Yuan, building up in the raging clouds below.

Even a single Jiu Si Lei Jie absorption made the energy accumulation considerable.

Not to mention, nearly double-digit Sheng Jie had already appeared on the island now.

Regardless of whether the tribulators survived, Duo Yuan was on the verge of bursting. The power hidden within it, if fully released, had enormous potential. For example...

"They want to use this force to unlock the Si Wu Zhen?"

Yan Wuse suddenly realized this, his eyes filling with a thoughtful glint.

Si Wu Zhen was a naturally formed great array on Xu Kong Island, reaching the Sheng Di level, essentially a special rule of the island.

This array suppressed foreign powers, allowing only Xu Kong clan members to grow and act naturally on the island. Foreigners entering the island were always constrained, unable to exert their full strength.

But the Xu Kong clan had declined since the fall of Tian Zu.

Long ago, ancestors of the Dao Yi clan used nine treasures as cores and 365 Zhen Xu Bei as array eyes to slightly alter the rules of Si Wu Zhen.

As a result, while retaining its original nature, the array evolved into a sealing formation.

On the outer island, Si Wu Zhen absorbed natural forces through its major cores and array eyes to maintain the natural rules. On the inner island, drawing from the outer island's absorbed power, it generated forbidden barriers.

Thus, the inner island of Xu Kong Island became a place of exile, one of the seven great bans, capable of imprisoning even Sheng Di.

"Ge ge ge ge ge..."

A continuous goose honking at his feet interrupted Yan Wuse's recollections.

This golden-haired, noble figure—one of the three emperors of Sheng Shen Hall—with a hint of irritability in his expression, turned and swung his foot, transforming it into a golden slash that struck downward.

The source of the honking, a Zhen Xu Bei, was blasted into the deep earth by the brilliant golden light.

"Noisy."

Yan Wuse slowly retracted his left foot, the light on it fading back to its original form.

He reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose, a look of melancholy on his face, and sighed deeply after a long moment: "If that Dao kid were here, how great that would be..."

But Dao Qiong Cang was clearly absent, with other matters to handle.

So, Yan Wuse had no choice but to dust off his long-unused mind and start thinking.

"Hmm, Ba Zun An was sentenced to the inner island, but the seal couldn't hold him. As the revered figure of the black and white pulses, he escaped."

"After that, the multiple disturbances on Xu Kong Island were clearly related to him, and he even managed to bring out a few inner island creatures."

"Through some... hmm, complicated alliances, the three ancestors of the white pulse and Mo Di Hei Long agreed to his plan, collaborating from inside and out to bring Xu Kong Island down to the Yun Lun Mountains."

"Sheng Di Jin Zhao appeared, his purpose being to make more people believe that the Sheng Dao foundation of the Sky City was real, thereby attracting more people to the island for tribulations, and ultimately using Duo Yuan to accumulate Lei Jie forces."

"Once the numbers on the island grew and it became a mix of all sorts, he could use his people to secretly steal the nine great cores, disrupt the distribution of Zhen Xu Bei, and destroy the array eyes... that is..."

Yan Wuse glanced down at the Zhen Xu Bei that had been embedded deep into the ground, nearly falling into Duo Yuan. He thought for a moment and summoned it back, as it was important and needed to be returned to its position later.

"Ge ge ge ge ge..."

The honking continued.

"This is too noisy! Absolutely too noisy! Who turned this Zhen Xu Bei into such a goose-like thing? Is that even human?"

Yan Wuse's expression twisted in annoyance.

He kicked it back into the ground with another strike.

Out of sight, out of mind—he had to prevent this headache-inducing goose Zhen Xu Bei from interrupting his thoughts again. Squatting down, he picked up a sharp-edged stone and drew a circle on the mountain beside Duo Yuan.

"This is 'one'."

Yan Wuse hadn't used his brain in so long that he worried he might forget his earlier reasoning.

After summarizing it, he couldn't help but miss that Dao kid who carried a Si Nan with that smug expression, muttering in bafflement:

"How could anyone enjoy reasoning?"

"Sigh!"

Regaining his focus, he drew three lines from the circle called "one" with the stone.

Yan Wuse simply sat down on the dirty ground, leaning forward and scratching his head, using the sharp end of the stone to poke the first line.

"First problem: Is the power accumulated in Duo Yuan really meant to unlock Si Wu Zhen?"

"Hmm, that's the most obvious thought, but also the hardest to stop. It would require wasting a lot of people, resources, objects, and time to succeed, so it must be!"

"Ah! Another overt scheme... so annoying!"

"...Is this why I'm here reasoning? To hold me back?"

Yan Wuse lay on the ground, suddenly enlightened, lifting his gaze with unfocused eyes toward the raging fog sea of Duo Yuan. Frustration washed over him, and he gritted his teeth, using the stone to scrape his scalp, unknowingly covering his golden hair with dust.

"Think! Think!"

Yan Wuse slapped himself twice, forcing himself not to zone out and continue reasoning:

"Then the corresponding solution: I need to recover the cores, otherwise I'll have to bleed myself and place some treasures back... Oh! Who knows where the cores are? So it's up to me to bleed out, damn it, Dao Qiong Cang!"

"That's right, I also need to put that noisy goose Zhen Xu Bei back in its array eye to restore Si Wu Zhen's power."

"But how would I know how to arrange Si Wu Zhen!"

"Uh?"

At that thought, Yan Wuse suddenly jumped up, then sat back down hard on the high ground.

He reached into his robe and pulled out an array disk, injecting Ling Yuan into it. Inside, heavenly mechanisms intertwined, outlining a great array. The array had nine red points and 365 blue points, marking their correct positions.

Misplaced or lost positions were indicated in gray and flashing urgently, clearly needing attention. Yan Wuse suddenly understood, feeling a suffocating sense of being manipulated.

"No wonder Er Hao gave me this array disk before leaving—that's Si Wu Zhen, right? So Dao Qiong Cang had already figured it out?"

"Does he have a problem? Why not just tell me the answer directly, and I could handle it?"

"Hmm, I should think about it myself—it's been so long since I used my brain, it might rust... Is that what he meant?"

Silently putting away the array disk, Yan Wuse took a deep breath and drew another circle beside it, mumbling to himself.

After a while, he returned to the main circle.

With the stone, he poked the second line outside the circle.

"Going back to the beginning, bringing Xu Kong Island down wasn't something that could happen overnight—Ba Zun An couldn't have summoned it instantly."

"It must have been a long-planned scheme..."

"Yu Ling encountered Ba Zun An in Bai Ku, and Gou Wu Yue said he heard Ba Zun An formally declare war on Sheng Shen Hall around that time."

"That must be the key point."

"Hmm, key... huh huh~"

Yan Wuse nodded thoughtfully, but as he nodded, his eyelids grew heavy, and the world faded away. Only when his chin hit the ground did he snap back to the task.

"Uh..."

"The predecessor of Bai Ku was Jin Zhao Jail Sea, where Jin Zhao Old Ancestor of the white pulse was born, and it also nurtured Sheng Gong Long Rong."

"The Jin Zhao lineage produced a traitor, Sang Qi Ye, also known as Sheng Nu Wu Xiu. Wu Xiu's disciple—whoever that was—entered Bai Ku. Was that on Wu Xiu's orders?"

"Yan Mang emerged... ah, my head hurts! Help..."

Yan Wuse rubbed his temples in pain, continuing to recall the intelligence he had gathered:

"When did Yan Mang last emerge? It seems it was also related to Jin Zhao Jail Sea—was Jin Zhao Old Ancestor extending his influence outward?"

"That's right, Hong Yi reported that they found no clues about the extra-dimensional space rifts."

"But with the four swords unearthed, proving the seal on Jin Zhao Jail Sea has loosened and inner island people are restless, there should be a space rift leading to Xu Kong Island."

"Ba Zun An entered Bai Ku... yes, he probably found what Hong Yi couldn't, so that's when they finalized the details for summoning Xu Kong Island?"

"Humph! A bunch of despicable scum worthy of a thousand deaths!"

Yan Wuse gripped the stone tightly, crushing it on the spot, though the line on the ground remained intact. He switched to another stone and pressed it against the second line.

"So the question is, how did Ba Zun An end up sentenced to the inner island back then? Wasn't that just handing him the title of black and white pulses' revered figure? Were we being used?"

"Hmm, impossible! With Dao Qiong Cang's cunning, he couldn't have been used... hiss! Almost forgot, Dao Qiong Cang wasn't in charge back then, right?"

"This matter needs to be discussed with him!"

At that thought, Yan Wuse jumped up anxiously, but then relaxed, chuckling and shaking his head, "Heh, even I can think of it..."

Like a defeated fish, he lay back down, not rushing anymore. Propping his chin with his left hand and holding the stone in his right, he poked the third line.

"The second line doesn't need more thought—Dao Qiong Cang must be preparing for it. Better to focus on the present."

"Third problem."

"I can think of Ba Zun An wanting to unlock Si Wu Zhen, and Dao Qiong Cang definitely can too."

"Dao Qiong Cang said to treat Ba Zun An as him, so Ba Zun An can think of what I can. This isn't his real plan—it's just a delay. So, what's his true plan..."

Yan Wuse grabbed his golden hair, turning his head into a messy bird's nest.

He added notes to the first two lines, but after thinking for a long time, the third line yielded no result.

"What could it be?"

"Hiss, what could it be?"

"Using what Dao Qiong Cang taught—think outside the box, yes, as a third party or an enemy..."

"If I were Ba Zun An, my goal would be this damned Sheng Shen Hall."

"Ha ha, ridiculous! How could that be possible? I'm not an idiot—Sheng Shen Hall is so strong!"

Yan Wuse stopped thinking altogether.

Attacking Sheng Mountain? That's absurd!

No one in this world could attack Sheng Mountain. Quickly, he slapped himself.

"Hmm, but if I were still Ba Zun An and insisted on fighting without being stupid, how would I do it?"

"Attacking Sheng Mountain directly is impossible—there are too many people there, and they're too strong."

"So... lure them out to fight?"

Yan Wuse furrowed his brows, as if on the right track. "How to lure them?"

"Lure them out—he... uh, I couldn't beat them anyway."

"It's not like Ba Zun An wants to lure me and Er Hao to Xu Kong Island and kill us here?"

"Ha ha, hilarious! Too hilarious! Am I someone he can beat?"

Yan Wuse snorted through his nose, nearly fuming at his own idea, overcome with irritation. Deep down, he despised these vermin lurking in the shadows!

If it were up to him, forget whatever Dao Qiong Cang said about "continental unrest"—he'd gather forces to wipe out Xu Yue Hui Palace, that nest of vermin, first. If Sheng Nu dared to declare war, destroy them next. Get the full Ten-Person Council involved, and tear out the mouths of anyone spouting nonsense!

Even Yan Wang's fire had been lively lately... so bring the ten together, put out the fire, slaughter those people, and recover some Lei Jia Tong while at it.

What was there to fear about "continental unrest"?

For the greater good, sacrifice the small—it's common sense for adults.

In this world, there's no absolute fairness, no fairy tales where you get both fish and bear paw.

After raising the banner of justice and maintaining continental order for so long, bringing prosperity and benefiting millions of mortals and Lian Ling Shi,

The present world was the best!

The current order was the best order!

Anyone trying to resist, shouting "freedom" only for their own selfish desires, should be executed one by one!

Even if taking big steps caused some unrest.

But for prosperity and order, for the peace of the majority, a little strain was nothing—it wouldn't tear or kill anyone.

"Hit me..."

"Heh!"

Yan Wuse's gaze turned cold as he rose from the ground, spitting on his hands, rubbing them together, and smoothing his hair from front to back.

The messy locks instantly fell into order, shining brightly.

Yan Wuse spat again, the saliva landing right on the end of the third line he had drawn.

He lifted his gleaming, scale-like boot and stomped down hard, crushing the ridiculous question with his answer.

"Shit, I'll beat it all to pieces!"

With a turn, the goose Zhen Xu Bei was lifted from the ground by golden threads.

The annoying honking hadn't even started before it was sealed in an absolutely enclosed golden light sphere.

Searching his memory, he located where this Zhen Xu Bei should go—in the Giant Kingdom not far from Miracle Forest. Yan Wuse's eyes sharpened, turning pure gold.

He didn't even need to go personally; through Xu Kong Island's light indexing, he instantly found the spot. With a flick of his finger,

The enclosed golden light sphere, carrying the Zhen Xu Bei, vanished from near Duo Yuan at light speed.

"Still have to shed some blood..."

Yan Wuse sighed, then reached to pull out treasures to serve as the missing cores and seal Si Wu Zhen. Just then, a slightly panicked voice echoed across the entire Xu Kong Island.

"Yan Wuse, save me—"

Yan Wuse's face froze in disbelief. That was Er Hao's voice!

"Seriously?"

"Really want to start a fight on Xu Kong Island here?"

"Ba Zun An making a move himself? Er Hao can't beat him? What's he thinking, courting death so quickly?"

Through the sensing of directly invoking a saint's name, Yan Wuse instantly saw the scene somewhere.

He saw a illusory world of falling plums, filled with countless shattered, dim ancient texts, and standing there was an elegant, white-haired sword cultivator with an otherworldly air.

"Mei Si Ren?"

Yan Wuse didn't have time to look at the others, his brows shooting up in shock, momentarily stunned.

"What's going on?"

"The mighty Tian Ji Shen Shi can't beat a mere Mei Si Ren? What's he playing at, tricking me?"

Focusing his gaze,

"Jian Sheng?"

Yan Wuse's mouth twitched, finally understanding. "But still, that's not right!"

"Even if he can't win, he should be able to escape, right? Why call for help? Is he being held back?"

"The era of ancient sword cultivators is long past—how could he lose... what bad luck!"

The troublesome Yan Wuse rubbed his brows, easing his furrowed expression, then took a deep breath and beckoned with his hand. Spots of light darted over, quickly forming a radiant, holy angel of light that was almost blinding.

With a grim expression, Yan Wuse handed over a space ring and instructed: "Go fill in the blanks for the major cores and hold things off temporarily."

"Yes." The angel of light actually had intelligence, nodding as it took the ring and vanished in a flash of light.

"Man-made things are just a bunch of junk! How dare they sit with me..."

Yan Wuse sneered coldly, perhaps thinking of something, and stepped forward to save the person. But as he lifted his foot, he paused mid-air.

Behind him, Duo Yuan's violent energy was still accumulating, and the howling winds continued to tear at his clothes. This massive buildup was a real nuisance.

If not resolved, it could be exploited.

Resolving it would take time—even a Ban Sheng might struggle and not clear it completely. Yan Wuse thought for a moment, then pinched two fingers in the air.

"Buzz!"

Energy across thousands of miles was vacuumed away. Endless Dao principles exploded into nothingness.

The uninhabited area of Duo Yuan was instantly drained, manifesting as a massive black hole.

Even the space fragments were gone—utterly extinguished!

"Sun Wheel."

From his fingertips, Yan Wuse formed a massive, blazing white, flat wheel of compressed light energy, like a blazing sun. Without looking back, he casually tossed the sun wheel toward Duo Yuan and stepped forward.

The motion was as careless as when he had crushed a stone while drawing on the ground earlier.

"Boom!"

The energy accumulated from absorbing various Sheng Jie forces in Duo Yuan was like throwing fuel on a greater, more terrifying blaze—it instantly went haywire.

A tremendous roar erupted, and a vast beam of light shot up from within Duo Yuan, its fluctuations surpassing even Sheng Jie. The horrifying energy wave instantly reached Yan Wuse's back.

But all the chaotic energy calmed upon approaching Yan Wuse, as if purified by holy light, becoming utterly docile and afraid to act out.

The world lost all color except for light.

Yan Wuse's black silhouette against the light walked slowly through the blazing white expanse, heading into the void like a god returning to the divine realm.

"Buzz..."

A brilliant sun slowly rose in the sky, making the entire Xu Kong Island tremble slightly. Everywhere on the island, people looked up at this phenomenon.

It felt as if even Sheng Jie paled in comparison.

What had happened? Wait!

In that suddenly rising white sun, there seemed to be a speck of black... a person?

Was that a person?!

At the same time, all Lian Ling Shi struggling on Xu Kong Island seemed to hear a cold, murderous saintly voice:

"You're all seeking death..."

"In that case, I shall grant it to you."