Chapter 1222: Wartime Childbirth of Xu Xiaoshou, Desperate Counterattack Against the Meizi People

"Haha!"Sinister laughter and the hum of a sword rang out simultaneously. Mei Jiren's illusory swordsmanship wasn't particularly powerful; Number Two was only delayed for a fleeting moment, just long enough for him to lift his foot and prepare to follow. His reaction was already fast enough. However, as soon as he moved, a burst of light shot past him, followed by a mocking laugh from behind: "Just cover my back. I haven't stretched my limbs in a long time. I'll have some fun this time." Number Two immediately lowered his Sacred Judgment Sword.

Carried through the air by Mr. Jiren, Xu Xiaoshou experienced a peculiar sensation in the 'Swordless Flow' state, the first realm of the Swordless Art. It was a different kind of void from the Vanishing Art, more akin to the 'Embodiment of Principles' mastered only by Soul Refiners in the Dao-Severing realm. While Soul Refiners possess various attributes, Xu Xiaoshou had never seen one who mastered "no attribute" and whose embodiment of principles entered a state of "no-dao." Yet, his current state was precisely like this.

While in the Swordless Art state, experiencing the time-space leap of the first realm of Illusory Swordsmanship, Xu Xiaoshou had an even more unique experience. Void, time, space... With Mr. Jiren's sword, under the 'Unity of Heaven and Man' state, Xu Xiaoshou felt as if he was on the verge of breaking through a critical bottleneck. Regarding time, it was like going from zero to one. He was just a little short of achieving it. If he could calm down and truly feel it, perhaps the 'Great Dao Disk' would soon gain an additional 'Time Dao Disk.' With a Time Dao Disk, and aided by the 'Unity of Heaven and Man,' Xu Xiaoshou was confident his combat power would ascend to another level—a significant leap, at that!

Who would have thought that the strange "Yo ho!" laughter in his ear would make him break out in a cold sweat, nearly disrupting his 'Unity of Heaven and Man' state. Xu Xiaoshou turned his gaze. An indecent old face was right beside him: Yan Wuse! This old fellow's lower body had transformed into light, while his upper body walked alongside Xu Xiaoshou, traveling beneath the principles of time and space. He even reached out, trying to put a hand on Xu Xiaoshou's shoulder, but under the Swordless Flow, his attempt failed.

"What a pity," Yan Wuse said, shaking his head. He then winked at the slightly startled young man beside him. "What's wrong? Don't like old men?" Xu Xiaoshou's heart nearly leaped out of his throat. Through his 'Perception,' he could see that Yan Wuse was clearly still pursuing Huang Quan at that moment. How could he simultaneously appear here? Was it a Semi-Saint clone?

"Not a Semi-Saint clone," Yan Wuse said. Clearly eager to talk, he chuckled after seeing through the young man's surprise and fear. "When light is fast enough, engaging two, or even three, parties simultaneously is no problem at all.""Lord Shou—"Master Han's scream came from afar, seemingly confirming Yan Wuse's words. Through his 'Perception,' Xu Xiaoshou could see that light was not only flashing within the Space-Time Rift but also pursuing him. At the same time, the light split into nine fine threads, binding the head of the colossal ghostly beast that had transformed into the Sky-Cold Weasel on the other side. Yan Wuse was simultaneously pursuing Master Han!

Xu Xiaoshou finally realized something: this old fellow's speed was so extreme that he could pursue three parties at once! Even if the three parties fled in separate directions, for light, traveling back and forth between three points barely consumed any time. And if he could effortlessly control light at such extreme speeds, would his consciousness be any less formidable? He could even multitask, simultaneously pummeling Huang Quan's Space-Time Rift while exerting sufficient pressure on the other two parties.

"This is called Puppet Control Light," Yan Wuse said, pointing towards Master Han. There, another Yan Wuse was using nine light threads to control the Semi-Saint ghostly beast, the Sky-Cold Weasel. Simultaneously, that Yan Wuse, also capable of multitasking, burst into laughter: "Little Ice Weasel, long time no see! Did you miss me, the Emperor? Your Transcendent Saint Escape back then gave me quite a chase. What, have you evolved to the point where even the Inner Island can't hold you anymore? Well done, you've made progress!""Lord Shou—" The Sky-Cold Weasel's wail was tinged with tears; it dared not look back, desperately fleeing forward. As it fled out of his 'Perception' range, Xu Xiaoshou distinctly saw the Yan Wuse on that side flicking the reins, just like controlling a horse. "Giddy up!"

Xu Xiaoshou's heart turned cold. Yan Wuse wasn't lying! He truly hadn't used a Semi-Saint clone; it was the same person. Because when the Yan Wuse on the other side moved, the Yan Wuse in front of him felt unreal, his body subtly flickering. Only 'Perception' at Saint Emperor Lv.0 could detect such a subtle detail. At the speed of light, he rapidly and dynamically leaped between three points, engaging three parties, holding three conversations, cycling endlessly without interruption. Because his speed was sufficient, he could create three "clones"—which were both clones and the real person!

"So, what do you think?" Yan Wuse's abhorrent old face, which remained relatively still beside Xu Xiaoshou despite moving at a speed that allowed him to traverse time and space simultaneously, was still smiling, perpetually smiling. "Did this move of mine impress you? Honestly, I'm quite interested in you, young man, but not because of your combat abilities. It's something else..." Yan Wuse paused, then winked. "What's your relationship with Old Man Yu's great-granddaughter?""Questioned, Passive Points, +1."

How could Xu Xiaoshou even think at that moment? In his mind, four big words flashed: Light of Soul Refining! "Come on, tell me. If you do, that relationship might just save your life later on," Yan Wuse said, visibly pleased. Time-space leaps, one after another. Mei Jiren remained silent, yet he still couldn't shake off Yan Wuse, who clung like a stubborn plaster. The few of them quickly flashed out of the Sin One Hall and into the high skies above Void Island. The Soul Refiners on the island craned their necks, some sensing abnormality, others barely able to keep up with the speed to glimpse the figures. Meanwhile, Master Han was being dragged around like a dog on a leash, taken to an unknown location. As for the Yan Wuse "clone" battling Huang Quan, he used Void Island as his base, manifesting all phenomena to establish a foundation that made it impossible for him to be slowed down by myriad principles.

"Only one chance!" Madness flickered in Xu Xiaoshou's eyes. Number Two hadn't been able to push him to the brink because Mr. Jiren had arrived at the last moment. But now, Mr. Jiren couldn't act, and Yan Wuse hadn't even unleashed his full power, merely demonstrating this single move, yet Xu Xiaoshou felt immense pressure. It was even greater and more profound than the oppressive feeling from the Liberated State: Heavenly Secret Divine Emissary! To defeat Yan Wuse, one either had to match his strength and directly crush him—a chance Mei Jiren might have had in his peak state...? Or, one had to catch him off guard and deliver a decisive blow with absolute output, leaving no room for recovery!

"Passive Fist (Charge Value: 56.33)." At this moment, Xu Xiaoshou even eyed his ultimate trump card, itching to use it. It had been too long since Passive Fist was unleashed! It was so hidden that Xu Xiaoshou himself almost forgot about it, and his enemies would certainly have no defense against it. The main reason was that the charge value of this special passive skill increased too slowly. But putting everything else aside, just the battle with Number Two, during which Xu Xiaoshou was pierced through several times, caused Passive Fist's charge value to skyrocket. Semi-Saint level attacks were far more effective than those from previous Xiantian or Grandmaster opponents! And if that wasn't enough, there was the Finger of Illusionary Annihilation... "Finger of Illusionary Annihilation (Charge Value: 81.64)." Thanks to the repulsive physique of the Five Decays of Heaven and Man, the terrifying influence of the Blood World Pearl, and the degraded combat power of enemies in recent battles, almost every fight involved mental influence. The Finger of Illusionary Annihilation's charge value increased even more dramatically than Passive Fist's! With Passive Fist at 56.33 and Finger of Illusionary Annihilation at 81.64, if he could land a hit, Xu Xiaoshou was even confident he could perform a wave of instant kills on the Three Emperors right in front of Mr. Jiren! At that point, Yan Wuse would have to change his name to "Yan No-Head"! Even if his vitality was incredibly tenacious and he could resurrect, Xu Xiaoshou was confident that it would buy enough time. The time it took for Yan Wuse to resurrect would be enough for Mei Jiren to take him on a tour of the entire Void Island.

But..."Can I even hit him?!"Xu Xiaoshou's instincts urged him to punch. Yet, his reason told him that Yan Wuse could even control the speed of light, and his reaction speed might be superior to Number Two's! As the Light of Soul Refining, as one of the Three Emperors... would he truly be decapitated by a single punch? Hesitation lasted only a thought before his body reacted under the oppressive presence of Yan Wuse, who was leaning in. Xu Xiaoshou's eyes turned red with anger, and he canceled his 'Swordless Flow.' He unleashed a punch!

Time, at this moment, seemed to stop. Mei Jiren abruptly halted his next time-space leap, turning back in alarm. He would not leave Xu Xiaoshou alone to face Yan Wuse. But after turning his head, the sight made his heart tremble. Xu Xiaoshou's right arm had completely burst, his robes shredded to ashes. From the residual airflow fluctuations in the void, it was clear that a punch had been thrown. However, Yan Wuse merely tilted his head with a smile. The airflow from that punch had grazed his ear, breaking off three strands of golden hair...

"Tsk." Yan Wuse, still with his head tilted, praised him sincerely, his tone carrying the appreciation of an elder for a junior. "Impressive. You even dared to counterattack. You've got guts, kid." In the same instant, before he even finished speaking, light had already gathered in his eyes, and two beams shot out abruptly."Xu Xiaoshou!" Mei Jiren leaped forward with a sword."Vanishing Art!" With his attack failing, Xu Xiaoshou vanished on the spot without a second thought. He dared not wait for Mei Jiren to save him; that would be akin to waiting for death. Not only did he vanish, but he was also certain that Yan Wuse wouldn't be able to find him in his vanished state within a short period. So, taking a Sacred Medicine by mouth, Xu Xiaoshou split apart on the spot!

"Ugh—" With his face contorted, his body split in half, copying all abilities. But his state was too weak! Vanishing during battle, giving birth to himself, this outrageous maneuver of 'birthing a second clone,' consumed too much energy and time. Just a little more! Just a tiny bit! Time... Xu Xiaoshou, leveraging 'Unity of Heaven and Man,' rapidly repaired himself while meticulously comprehending the time-space principles he had felt in the 'Swordless Flow' state. He didn't want time-space leaps. What he wanted was a Time Dao Disk!

Huang Quan's mastery of the time attribute was truly extraordinary; he could even split into Semi-Saint clones after being decapitated, giving himself another chance to start anew. This greatly inspired Xu Xiaoshou! Only by mastering time would there be any possibility of finding an opportunity to hit Yan Wuse with Passive Fist, given his terrifying reaction speed. Yes, Xu Xiaoshou had merely been probing just now. He still hadn't dared to use Passive Fist; reason was Xu Xiaoshou's true core. If Passive Fist was revealed too early, Yan Wuse would never truly die. Xu Xiaoshou earlier had merely used his full strength to unleash a sleeveless Blazing Hand, gauging Yan Wuse's reaction speed and even his combat awareness.

The Triple Realm! Undoubtedly, the Triple Realm! Faster than himself; he didn't know how he compared to the Liberated State: Heavenly Secret Divine Emissary, but being faster than himself was enough. This meant that, under normal circumstances, Passive Fist and Finger of Illusionary Annihilation couldn't kill... or even hit Yan Wuse!"Time!""I need more time!"Xu Xiaoshou's face was contorted as he tried to use 'Unity of Heaven and Man' to attune himself to the Time Dao Disk that had never appeared.

At this moment, the second True Body had finished manifesting. It stood up, glanced at its own state, realized it was in the vanishing state, and began to speak with a smile: "Boss, which 'me' am I now? If I'm not mistaken, the last 'me' was killed by you, right?""Shut up.""How could that be? It's not like I don't know my own personality; everything else can be shut, but not my mouth.""Then look around before you speak.""Around?"

The second True Body seemed to have never expected its main body to use the 'Second True Body' awakening skill during battle, as it went against its personality. After observing its surroundings, it was startled. Yan Wuse, having missed his attack, no longer paid attention to Mei Jiren. He exploded into a barrage of countless light beams, resembling a human shredding machine. Wherever the light beams struck, space was cut and principles shattered, forcing even Mei Jiren to retreat a great distance.

"Still can't hit him?" The attacks of absolute power failed to force Xu Xiaoshou out, surprising Yan Wuse. This confirmed the unbelievable intelligence from the Holy Divine Palace, which turned out to be reliable: Xu Xiaoshou possessed a means of absolute disappearance, not within the Heavenly Dao, transcending beyond the Saint Dao. While outsiders couldn't verify it, Yan Wuse was highly confident in his own strength. If even he couldn't strike Xu Xiaoshou in his vanished state, then Xu Xiaoshou had truly erased his presence from this world. No one else in this world, no matter who, could force Xu Xiaoshou out with offensive means!

"Banishment." In an instant, Yan Wuse put aside his arrogance and chose the "unique" method mentioned in the intelligence reports for dealing with Xu Xiaoshou's technique. With the principles abandoned, an area spanning ten thousand miles became a place of banishment. Yan Wuse conjured a golden speck of light at his fingertip and lightly tossed it towards the center of the banished area.

"Solar Collapse." With a thunderous boom, the golden speck of light split into a scorching white sun, radiating a faint golden glow. The white sun in the sky illuminated the entire Void Island, drawing the gaze of countless beings. However, no sooner had it appeared than all the white sun's energy collapsed towards its center, converging into a black hole. A terrifying suction force drew out and shattered various Great Dao principles, pulling them towards the point of the solar collapse.

Mei Jiren attempted a time-space leap to escape, but with the principles collapsing, he found himself being pulled towards the center of the solar collapse. The immense, distorted energy, merely a radiation of light, made Mei Jiren feel as if his body was tearing apart, burning with pain. His body cracked. Blood seeped out. Mei Jiren's eyes flashed; he clutched the Taicheng Sword tightly, no longer hesitating. "The Way of the Heart..."

"Old Sword Saint, don't court disaster." Yan Wuse glanced at him coldly, attempting to interrupt: "Not to mention how much damage your sword can inflict on me, will that countdown hanging over you even allow you to finish this strike?"Mei Jiren murmured to himself, unmoved. "Illusory, True Self... Other Self, Mind-thought..." Sacred sounds drifted from the Nine Heavens. Terrifying sword energy bloomed from beneath his feet. A brilliant Sword Dao profound array diagram unfurled beneath him. As the Taicheng Sword vibrated with a hum, the Mei Jiren in Yan Wuse's eyes seemed to enter an illusory, false state, as if this person, from a subjective consciousness, had never existed in the world at all. This feeling might not be obvious to others, but with just one probe, Yan Wuse's heart nearly stopped. He immediately understood: this was the highest profundity of Heart Swordsmanship! What would be imagined into non-existence would never be Mei Jiren, but rather, in the next instant, himself after his transformation. Yan Wuse's guess was correct. Mei Jiren was indeed about to strike him down on the spot! Using Prajna-lessness, he would subjectively and completely erase the so-called "One of the Three Emperors," the "Light of Soul Refining"!