Chapter 1228: Give me some face, let the war end here, how about it?

"Are you sick?"

Fortunately, this mighty slap didn't carry any special power, as if it were a simple divine thought.

After Huang Quan's fragile true body was shattered, the semi-saint avatar he had hastily condensed during the battle flew out.

While roaring, he twisted time and space to retrieve his true body.

"Received anomaly, passive value, 1."

"Received insult, passive value, 1."

"Received shock, passive value, 1213."

"Received fear, passive value, 666."

The information panel popped up with alerts, and Spiritual Awakening triggered along with it.

Xu Xiaoshou stood there in a daze, wondering why he had suddenly acted so uncharacteristically. Even if influenced by the Blood World Pearl, Spiritual Awakening had triggered almost immediately, so it shouldn't have led to such indiscriminate attacks on friend and foe.

Or was it that... the influencing force had intensified?

Had he lost control in that split second when interfered with by the Blood World Pearl, and by the time Spiritual Awakening activated, the arrow was already loose and couldn't be recalled?

"Something's wrong!"

Xu Xiaoshou's keen awareness realized that his sudden attack on an ally wasn't solely due to the Blood World Pearl's influence.

He checked the information panel and found the unfamiliar term "Received anomaly."

So, what was this "anomaly" originating from?

The Blood World Pearl was clearly just an "influence."

His "Perception" flared up, but Xu Xiaoshou couldn't pinpoint the source. He even suspected Number Two, as he was the only enemy left on site.

Yet, under that earlier kick, Number Two was still trapped in time stasis, and the Time Ancestor Shadow Staff's ability wasn't just for show.

Therefore, the "anomaly" didn't come from Number Two—it must be from... below?

His "Perception" swept toward the Void Island below, where many Spiritual Masters were watching from afar, but none had made a move before.

Clearly, no one wanted to get involved in a three-way battle between the Holy Divine Palace, the Holy Slaves, and the Yanwang. They were all trying to stay out of it.

And to act undetected under Xu Xiaoshou's Saint Emperor Lv.0 "Agility" and "Perception," it would have to be a peak semi-saint. The Spiritual Masters below were at most at the pinnacle of the Void Realm; there were no semi-saints among them.

"If it's not Number Two and not from below, then what could it be?" Xu Xiaoshou thought anxiously about the Saint Emperor Dragon Scale and began mentally scanning for guidance, hoping for some indication.

Soon, he sensed something and looked up at the sky.

High in the nine heavens, a blazing sun hung in the sky, unchanged even after Yan Wuse's shattering.

This was already extremely strange!

Because the Lieyang Plan originated from the Angel of the Sun, and the Angel of the Sun came from Yan Wuse. But Yan Wuse had been obliterated, at least temporarily unable to recover his combat strength.

"Does the Angel of the Sun have its own independent intelligence or traits, existing as long as Yan Wuse isn't truly dead?"

"But the Lieyang Plan shouldn't bring any special influence; after all, it's been around for so long."

"And yet, the 'anomaly' came so suddenly..."

Xu Xiaoshou's thoughts raced, and suddenly his gaze sharpened.

Beyond the range his "Perception" could see.

Relying on his superhuman vision, enhanced by consuming Long Apricot Fruit to withstand intense light, Xu Xiaoshou spotted a faint silver trace next to the blazing sun, slightly different from the white—one that was pale silver. This was...

"The Angel of the Moon?"

Xu Xiaoshou's expression turned sharp as he suddenly recalled that Mr. Si Ren had returned to the sword temporarily and couldn't stop the Angel of the Moon and the Angel of the Stars from ascending. After the sky was filled with white, everyone had subconsciously assumed the Angels of the Moon and Stars were gone.

But unexpectedly, these two angels had entered the super high altitude filled with intense white light.

They were invisible, yet they had always been there.

"Second String Moon!" Mei Siren's voice transmission reminded him. "That's the ability of the Angel of the Moon, Second String Moon."

"What does it do?" Xu Xiaoshou asked quickly.

"Second String Moon can transform the special light of the Lieyang Plan into rays with bizarre attributes. Anyone hit by these rays will undergo mutations, affecting their body, soul, emotions, and spirit in various ways."

Xu Xiaoshou listened in horror.

So, even though Yan Wuse had been shattered by him, he wasn't completely destroyed?

Was this the so-called Three Emperors, the light of Spiritual Mastery?

The Angel of the Moon, hidden in the Lieyang Plan, ignored Number Two's misfortune and steadfastly carried out its task after being summoned.

After the battle below had a brief buffer period, it had completed the transformation of the light.

As light and shadow shifted, the brightness of the Lieyang Plan dimmed, while the silver-white glow beside it grew.

Finally, sun and moon shone together, suspended in the sky.

The Angel of the Moon curved into a bright crescent, like it was resting on its own hands, quietly asleep.

Just like the Angel of the Sun had become the blazing sun, it had become the moon. The moment it fully fell asleep and completed the transformation, a supremely cold sacred sound echoed through heaven and earth:

"Second String Moon, Light of Distortion."

The faint silver glow, like the white light of the blazing sun, spread across the entire Void Island.

Xu Xiaoshou felt his mind stall, and bizarre thoughts—like countless sinful hairs—began to grow wildly.

He not only wanted to seize Huang Quan's Wound Profound Sword but also Soul Cutter! His curiosity about this Yanwang leader intensified at that moment.

He even felt that Number Two wasn't the priority; instead, ripping off Huang Quan's mask and thoroughly interrogating him about his relationship with Kong Yuhen was the most important thing.

And what about the Five Decays of Heaven and Man? This guy never acted without profit, so why was his attitude toward him a bit different? Was his sexual orientation really abnormal all along?

And more...

"Stop it!"

Xu Xiaoshou clutched his forehead in pain, his eyes suddenly turning cold as illusory demonic energy exploded from his body.

In that instant, a solitary tower vaguely rose on Void Island, and Xu Xiaoshou's body was momentarily dyed pure black, his aura becoming incredibly chilling.

Heart Sword Technique, All Under My Eyes Are Demons!

In his spiritual world, Xu Xiaoshou swept his gaze, and all evil demons submitted under his sword.

He finally regained his calm.

Just then, Mei Siren arrived at his side with a worried expression. Seeing his student had saved himself, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Xu Xiaoshou, you've grown."

"Teacher..."

Xu Xiaoshou looked up, about to ask what had happened, but saw Huang Quan, who had just shouted at him, now trapped in a bizarre state.

"I'm not right... It's not me... Who are you..."

"Get out! Get out of here!"

Chaotic space-time forces erupted from Huang Quan, making his entire form blurry, like a fake person.

His semi-saint avatar, which had just rescued his true body, suddenly lost control, swelling up in mid-air.

"Boom!"

The semi-saint avatar exploded on the spot!

The terrifying force swept out, blasting a massive black hole near Sin One Hall and engulfing the Giant Kingdom in chaotic energy.

The world seemed to collapse, leaving only despair.

Those below who were too close didn't even have time to scream before they were pulverized by the space-time storm.

The vast Giant Kingdom, like Sin One Hall, was instantly reduced to ruins.

Xu Xiaoshou hadn't understood the meaning of the second and third steps of the Heaven Ancestor inheritance before.

Now, looking at the ruins of Sin One Hall and the Giant Kingdom, he suddenly realized.

"Second step: Save the Void Clan."

"Third step: Gain the recognition of the former Void Island Spirit's will." What needed saving might not be the once-glorious Void Clan's people, but their homeland.

In other words, the outer island of Void Island, now a semi-saint battlefield. Only by doing so could he possibly gain the recognition of the former Void Island Spirit—the true Heaven Ancestor who had merged with the island's rules.

But...

"How can I save this Sky City when I'm barely holding on myself?" Xu Xiaoshou thought bitterly.

"Caw—"

A distant owl cry echoed.

Turning to look, he saw that Huang Quan's semi-saint avatar explosion—or perhaps the influence of the Second String Moon's Light of Distortion—had also affected the Foul Rain.

In any case, the Five Decays of Heaven and Man had revived, using droplets of acidic rain to reform his body.

But his state seemed even more unstable than Huang Quan's. Clutching his head, he muttered incoherently: "I am your elder... Caw caw... Why go this far..."

"What is this?" Xu Xiaoshou racked his brain but couldn't imagine that even after Yan Wuse was gone, just one spiritual technique could affect the two major semi-saints so deeply.

This ability was terrifying!

"It's not that Yan Wuse's spiritual technique is that strong; it's that those two were already in an unstable state and couldn't withstand the distorting power. Otherwise, semi-saints wouldn't end up like this," Mei Siren explained.

Xu Xiaoshou pondered this, thinking that someone as refined as Mr. Si Ren wouldn't have issues with his mindset.

Glancing over, he saw a third hand emerging from behind Mei Siren, reaching toward his own head and pulling out his hair, scratching incessantly. That long, strange arm with four joints had three small mouths that kept opening and closing.

"So itchy..." the first mouth said.

"So itchy, so itchy," the second mouth said.

"Hmm? Why is it so itchy? How strange!" the third mouth added.

As it spoke, the strange third arm yanked out another handful of Mei Siren's hair and ate it.

"So hungry."

"Who's speaking?" Mei Siren frowned slightly, fanning his paper fan with an air of casual elegance, though his words carried a hint of confusion.

The voice that appeared was oddly familiar, sounding just like his own.

Xu Xiaoshou felt a shiver down his spine, his lips trembling as he pointed shakily at his teacher's head.

Mei Siren turned to look and was shocked: Xu Xiaoshou had three pairs of eyes, with the extra ones growing on his front teeth.

Xu Xiaoshou was terrified: on his teacher's nostrils, there was now a large toe, with a gray-green nail.

"Damn!"

"What's going on?"

At almost the same time, both realized that while their Dao hearts were firm, their physical bodies had undergone bizarre changes under the Light of Distortion.

"This is too weird!"

Xu Xiaoshou couldn't hold back and cursed. Looking at Mei Siren, whose head was nearly bald from the pulling, he felt his entire worldview shatter.

Was this the light of Spiritual Mastery?

After realizing his appearance had changed dramatically, Mei Siren's eyes filled with extreme horror.

Xu Xiaoshou had never seen such an expression on Mei Siren before—not even when fighting Number Two or facing Yan Wuse.

Mei Siren took a deep breath, first using the Tai City Sword to cast an Illusion Sword Technique on himself for a quick fix, then said:

"No Sword Technique."

The teacher and student both entered the state of the Swordless Flow, dealing with their extra organs and limbs.

Wails echoed everywhere, screams filled the sky.

On Void Island, those affected by the Light of Distortion weren't just Xu Xiaoshou and Mei Siren—it was everyone.

Nearly 99% of the Spiritual Masters couldn't withstand the semi-saint level distorting power and underwent unfathomable changes.

It wasn't just the Spiritual Masters; the island's native creatures and inanimate objects became bizarre too.

Trees sprouted new buds and vines, suddenly opening massive maws to devour flesh and blood, then producing snake eggs.

Stones cracked, gushing forth spiritual springs; the land nourished by the springs trembled and roared, growing into stone people that then exploded. Even black Void Attendants with a third leg appeared, charging from afar on all five limbs, carrying Number Two's severed arm like mad dogs, leaping into the air and savagely biting at nothing.

"It's chaos..."

"Total chaos!"

After resolving his own distortions, Xu Xiaoshou looked at the utterly disordered Void Island and was completely stunned.

Forget about saving the Void Clan—he was powerless now.

In this situation, only the Heaven Ancestor himself could come and turn things around.

On the entire Void Island, the only one visibly unaffected by the Light of Distortion was the liberated Tianji Divine Envoy.

Number Two's lower body had been severed by the Wound Profound Sword and carried away by a Void Attendant.

He seemed unable to contact his remains, unable to change this fact—the power of the Wound Profound Sword was incredibly strong.

For the moment, Number Two couldn't regenerate his body.

The battle was forced to a halt. Seeing Number Two's dazed expression, Xu Xiaoshou knew he hadn't anticipated the distortions on Void Island.

Clearly, with Yan Wuse gone, it had severely impacted the Angel of the Moon's task execution.

Xu Xiaoshou guessed that the Light of Distortion was originally meant to target only him and the Yanwang, not the whole island.

But it was too late.

Now, with Yan Wuse absent, everything was spiraling out of control.

Just as the island descended into complete chaos, a ethereal singing voice suddenly arose from the distance, completely at odds with the scene:

"I come from the west, drifting eastward with the current."

"In daylight, I watch the common folk; at night, I share a bed with ghosts."

"Mayflies guess my thoughts; cool winds snuff out the candle wax."

"Drunk on the waters of the mortal world, sober as an immortal in the end."

This voice... Xu Xiaoshou turned toward the west in surprise and joy.

Number Two and Mei Siren did the same.

A sword light flashed from the west, transforming into a man in swordsman robes, standing at the peak of the nine heavens.

He stepped on the void, his brows like stars, his presence transcending the mundane, with an air of compassion.

Yet his eyes didn't match his demeanor—dull and murky—with only eight fingers and a scar on his neck.

Standing in the distance, he gazed quietly at Number Two and said softly: "Is this what you in the Holy Divine Palace desire?"

Number Two's pupils contracted, as if facing a great enemy. Ba Zun An?

Xu Xiaoshou was overjoyed but couldn't help wanting to punch this old Ba right then.

What timing! Still putting on a show?

Where was your so-called backup plan?

You let me handle all the hardship while you show up now to play the hero?

Seeing Number Two speechless, Ba Zun An chuckled lightly and said indifferently: "If you keep fighting, both the people and the land here will be destroyed by you."

"How about giving me face? Return Void Island to you, I'll take the person, and the battle ends here. What do you say?"