Chapter 1240: People Should Have Mercy

"Come back."

Yu Lingdi wasn't about to let this guy get away so easily.

"What's the matter now?"

Si Tu Yongren had already conceded a little.

But the other side was pushing their luck, which was enough to make anyone furious.

Did he want to call him back just to humiliate him further? It wasn't like he had blown his own head off—did he have a screw loose?

"Here, take this." Yu Lingdi didn't say more and simply flicked out a drop of golden water.

"What's this?" Si Tu Yongren grew cautious, wrapping it in Ling Yuan from a distance, not daring to touch it directly.

"This is a small amount of power I've drawn from the Ci Mian Zhi Men shadow. You can carry it on you; if you're worried about losing it, swallow it ahead of time, but don't put it in a space ring."

"Why not?"

"That way, it won't save your life when you need it most." Yu Lingdi waved his hand dismissively and dove straight toward the San Xiang Ju Di, leaving Si Tu Yongren staring at his back in a daze, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

"This guy..."

Ci Mian Zhi Men required a Ban Sheng to activate.

Yu Lingdi had just achieved Dao Severing, yet he could already draw out some of its power. But why give it to him? Wasn't he looking down on him?

Why give him something he didn't need himself?

This stuff was rare, and it had to be kept on his person anyway, right?

Si Tu Yongren dispelled his Ling Yuan, sensing no danger. Thinking about how fragile he was in this situation—like paper that would tear at the slightest touch—he vaguely understood why Yu Lingdi had specifically said, "If you're afraid of losing it, swallow it ahead of time."

"Heh, sharp tongue, but..."

Si Tu Yongren shook his head and swallowed the golden water drop, mumbling under his breath.

Soon, his face stiffened, his expression turning strangely awkward. He quickly cut himself off, keeping a straight face that he thought was quite impressive, and silently flew toward the body of Number Two Senior.

"Has the Ci Mian Zhi Men of Huang Quan only obtained half its power?" On the other side, Tian Ren Wu Shui was fleeing with all his might, yet still startled by Yu Lingdi's earlier words.

This likely meant that the Ci Mian Zhi Men in Huang Quan's hands was fake!

Yu Lingdi, at his level, could borrow the power of the Ci Mian Zhi Men shadow, which was already unbelievable, and he had even managed to deceive Huang Quan with a fake. But none of that mattered now.

Not to mention, Huang Quan had probably already escaped Void Island by now. Even if he hadn't, these things weren't for him to worry about. Because behind him, Rao Yao Yao had gone berserk over that remark and was charging forward with her Jian Chang!

Tian Ren Wu Shui wasn't good at running.

To maximize his abilities, he had to stay at the rear of the battlefield, influencing the situation directly or indirectly. As a long-range spellcaster, what he feared most was a Jian Xiu with finishing moves.

And Rao Yao Yao, wielding the Xuan Cang Shen Jian, was someone Tian Ren Wu Shui didn't want to face head-on, even without her being a Ban Sheng. Let alone now, with her combat power having undergone a qualitative change.

Seizing the slight head start he had, when he reached the end of the exile space, Tian Ren Wu Shui sensed the boundary of this exile world.

Xu Xiao Shou's clone—maybe he would help if freed... Without hesitation, Tian Ren Wu Shui stuck to his earlier idea, and a surge of decaying mist erupted from him, condensing in his palms.

"Hand of Decay!"

Thick, liquid-like gray streams twisted into a pair of jagged cracks in his palms. Gripping the cracks, Tian Ren Wu Shui thrust both hands into the void.

The heavenly dao rules materialized, easily pulled out by him and torn apart on both sides.

With a whoosh, following the rupture, the decaying mist spread like murky water in all directions, quickly dissolving a massive gap in the exile world.

As soon as the gap opened, Xu Xiao Shou's vanished clone had two choices: help or flee.

After a brief pause, Tian Ren Wu Shui realized there were no signs of anyone coming to aid.

Thinking that Xu Xiao Shou's clone might have already slipped away invisibly, Tian Ren Wu Shui cursed his bad luck inwardly and rushed out through the gap.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Tian Ren Wu Shui's delay allowed Rao Yao Yao to catch up from behind.

Gazing at the self-sacrificing figure in the Yan Wang mask, Rao Yao Yao quickly sneered and halted her pursuit.

Now a thousand li apart, Tian Ren Wu Shui was within her basic attack range.

This distance wasn't the limit, but it was a respectful one for a Ban Sheng—it allowed Rao Yao Yao's combat power to be maximized.

"Under the vast heavens, all is the king's land."

"Within the borders, all are the king's subjects!"

As the crowd on Void Island wondered why Rao Jian Sheng had stopped, this sacred sound echoed in everyone's ears.

Before the sound fully faded, they saw a illusory vision of the red dust world manifesting across a thousand li, evolving into a miniature mortal kingdom.

In this kingdom, there were common folk, merchants and nobles, scholars from humble families, civil and military officials... everything one could imagine.

Whether inside or outside the red dust kingdom, all eyes were drawn, irresistibly focusing on Rao Yao Yao high above.

Surrounded by floating red dust particles, the faith power from the red dust kingdom turned tangible, forming semi-transparent bonds of connection that tied to her.

Rao Yao Yao wore a illusory crown, her aura becoming exalted, cold, domineering, and supreme.

"Wang Jian: Tian Zi Zhu!"

As she spoke, the Xuan Cang Shen Jian slashed through the air.

Trapped in the red dust kingdom and held by the power of the mortal visions, Tian Ren Wu Shui felt a chill down his spine, sensing death approaching.

He turned in horror to see a red sword light condensed from the faith of countless lives.

Merely gazing at it evoked an endless sense of blasphemy, as if one were utterly insignificant, while the other was an emperor on high.

Before any thought like "I could replace him" could form, or any countermeasures against this mental attack could be implemented—

"Caw—"

A piercing cry rang out.

Tian Ren Wu Shui's body twitched, and a three-legged black owl emerged on his left shoulder. Under the mask, his eyes grew dazed, nearly collapsing mentally on the spot.

If it were just a physical attack, he could accept it—even death. But in his current state, what he feared most was interference from high-level mental forces.

Because he hadn't fully shaken off the residual influence of Ye Xiao, who was also a Ban Sheng, and couldn't digest it completely in such a short time.

Weapons like the Xue Shi Zhu always severed one's chains at critical moments.

For instance, just now, Tian Ren Wu Shui's thoughts had suddenly broken off due to various inevitable reasons: the influence of the red dust sword, the mortal visions, his own poor condition, the mental attack... and so on.

"Ssh!"

Without a doubt, under all these forces, Tian Ren Wu Shui couldn't even execute a simple defensive Ling Ji.

The sword light of "Wang Jian: Tian Zi Zhu" struck him, not piercing through but drawing blood.

The immense power of the red dust sword, amplified by the mortal visions, compressed the thousand-li kingdom and poured everything into Tian Ren Wu Shui's spiritual world.

"Caw—"

"Ah—"

One body, two voices.

Tian Ren Wu Shui's scream was excruciatingly shrill.

He felt his head about to burst, flooded with chaotic red dust information.

The thousand-li red dust kingdom compressed thousands of lives, and in that brief moment of being struck, the red dust sword forced Tian Ren Wu Shui to experience nearly all those lives. His mind was already unstable!

Now, he was like a stitched monster, forcibly bound to thousands of foreign life paths, his memories nearly jumbled.

He plummeted from the sky like a falling bird.

Tian Ren Wu Shui lost all resistance and crashed into the ruins below.

Of the nine great Jian Shu, what he dreaded most was Qing Jian Shu!

"This sound..."

"Ye Xiao?"

Naturally, the voice from Tian Ren Wu Shui startled not only the Lian Ling Shi paying attention to the Six Departments of Sheng Shen Hall, but also Rao Yao Yao herself.

"Ye Xiao's voice, coming from Tian Ren Wu Shui?"

Connecting this to how Ye Xiao hadn't appeared throughout the fight, which was a major point of suspicion.

Earlier, there had clearly been the sound of Ye Xiao's Sheng Feng, and timing-wise, she should have succeeded in becoming a Ban Sheng by now. If she failed, how could there be a Sheng Feng sound?

Rao Yao Yao suddenly felt alarmed.

The last time she met Ye Xiao was at Bu She Ting, and she had been fine.

Now, they were supposed to meet again as Ban Sheng and collaborate for glory.

Yet Ye Xiao was greeting her in this bizarre way?

"Of course, the records say Tian Ren Wu Shui wasn't a Ban Sheng, and his Sheng Feng time was on Void Island?"

"But we didn't hear his Sheng Feng sound..."

"Possession?"

Rao Yao Yao's face froze in shock, unable to accept the guess, yet feeling it was ninety percent likely true.

But it was incomprehensible!

With Ye Xiao's extremely cautious personality, how could she be caught in a vulnerability during Sheng Feng and get taken over?

"You deserve to die!"

Rao Yao Yao gritted her teeth, gripped the Xuan Cang Shen Jian, and in a flash, slashed down at Tian Ren Wu Shui.

"Stop."

From far away, Xu Xiao Shou's figure appeared reluctantly, pointing at the cosmos.

With that word, fluctuations of time flowed from his fingertip, halting Rao Yao Yao's sword mid-strike... for an instant.

"I'm so weak!"

In just that moment, the second true body felt his Qi Hai completely drained. Even his ten-grade Ling Jian hadn't been shared with him.

After the point, the second true body exhaled lightly, as if devouring air with great gusto, mustering the strength he hadn't learned yet to condense a... Void Jian.

"I'm so poor, all I have left is Void Ning Jian Shu... Xu Xiao Shou, you're truly a devil..."

Self-mocking with a smile, the second true body stepped onto the Jian Dao Pan.

Memories flashed in his mind, back to the Ba Gong, facing the Ai Cang Sheng Xie Zui Gong's arrow.

Without hesitation, seizing this brief moment while Rao Yao Yao was controlled, he gripped the Void Jian and drew it back from afar.

"Time Sequence: Reverse!"

Using his profound mastery of Jian Shu to compensate for the deficiencies in time power.

Though he couldn't replicate Gu Wu Yue's sword that brought the dead back to life, the second true body still drew this sword. Knowledge related to time aspects of Huan Jian Shu had already integrated when the Time Dao Pan awakened.

At that, Tian Ren Wu Shui's nearly shattered body trembled.

Forces like the red dust sword and mortal visions seemed to be peeled away from his body, and his wounds nearly healed in reverse. But it was only "seemed" and "nearly."

All these changes halted after Tian Ren Wu Shui's slight tremor, with no follow-through.

The Lian Ling Shi on the island were stunned.

They thought some earth-shattering turn would happen—after all, this was the holy slave Xu Xiao Shou, who had created miracles before.

But now, it was like he had dropped his pants in front of everyone and let out a fart.

What next?

Nothing.

The second true body narrowed his eyes, hiding the embarrassment in them. He wasn't the original, after all, and couldn't rely on famed swords, Jian Nian, Shi Zu Ying Zhang, or the Imitator to bridge the vast gap in realms.

"Sorry, Tian Ren, I've done all I can—it's been my utmost effort." The second true body turned and vanished, stepping into the heavens without further delay.

"Exile!"

Sure enough, once Rao Yao Yao snapped out of it, she didn't even need her sword; with a command, vast spaces were exiled. But as half of Xu Xiao Shou, the second true body had anticipated Rao Yao Yao's move and escaped beforehand.

"Hiss..."

A suppressed, pained hiss came from beside her.

Worried it was a trick to lure her away, Rao Yao Yao didn't pursue Xu Xiao Shou and immediately turned her attention back to Tian Ren Wu Shui.

Tian Ren Wu Shui hadn't awakened.

That sound just now—was it from the soul?

He had possessed Ye Xiao and mastered some soul path techniques...

Seizing the gap when Xu Xiao Shou reversed time, he couldn't return to before being struck, but he escaped the pain for a moment, using it to separate his consciousness?

Thoughts raced through her mind in a flash. Rao Yao Yao's pupils glowed with dark little swords, revealing Tian Ren Wu Shui's eerily tainted soul body crawling out of his physical shell.

"Die!"

In an instant, she struck again.

This time, it wasn't a simple slash but infused with the power of Gui Jian Shu's Yu Hun Gui Shu, aiming to erase Tian Ren Wu Shui's soul on the spot.

As one of the Seven Jian Xian, Rao Yao Yao naturally knew other Jian Shu, but she simply didn't want to use them.

In battle involving the soul path, Qing Jian Shu couldn't compare to pure Gui Jian Shu, so she combined the two.

"Look at me..."

Just then, Tian Ren Wu Shui's soulless body suddenly opened its eyes under the mask.

His right eye swirled with three flowers flowing into the pupil.

Rao Yao Yao's sword halted just before his skull, instinctively avoiding looking—or wanting to look—at Tian Ren Wu Shui.

But she was too close!

She was already covered in dust and debris, and in her eyes, a crimson light she hadn't noticed yet appeared.

Her movements stiffened immediately.

Against her instincts, she looked at Tian Ren Wu Shui, and in her eyes, three gray flower spots began to swirl.

The petals flowed, merging into her pupils with an eerie beauty. Rao Yao Yao's gaze turned vacant in an instant.

"Look... at... me..."

"Yes, look at me. Look at this old man with your lofty, cold eyes—one last time at someone as insignificant as dust, as lowly as can be."

"You..."

"People should have compassion."

Some people die, but not completely...

After endless unconsciousness, Shi Yu suddenly sat up in bed. He wanted to see the content.

He gasped for fresh air, his chest heaving.

Confusion, bewilderment, and various emotions surged within him.

Where was this?

Then, Shi Yu subconsciously scanned his surroundings, only to become even more puzzled.

A single-person dormitory?

Even if he had been rescued successfully, he should be in a hospital room.

And his body... how could it be completely unharmed?

With doubt, Shi Yu's gaze swept quickly around the room, finally stopping on a mirror by the bed.

The mirror reflected his current appearance: about seventeen or eighteen years old, quite handsome.

His previous self had been a dashing young man in his twenties, already working for a while.

But now, he looked no older than a high school student...

This change left Shi Yu stunned for a long time.

Don't tell him the surgery was successful...

His body and face had both changed—this wasn't about surgery; it was something out of fantasy.

He had completely become another person!

Could it be... he had transmigrated?

Besides the mirror, which was placed in an obviously inauspicious spot, Shi Yu also found three books nearby.

Picking them up, the titles made him fall silent instantly.

"Beginner's Guide to Beast Taming Handbook"

"Postpartum Care for Pet Beasts"

"Appraisal Guide for Exotic Beast-Eared Girls"

Shi Yu: ???

The first two titles were normal enough, but what about the last one?

"Cough."

Shi Yu composed himself and reached out, but his arm froze soon after.

Just as he was about to open the third book to see what it was, a sharp pain hit his brain, and a flood of memories rushed in.

Bing Yuan City.

Pet Beast Breeding Base.

Intern Pet Beast Breeder.

Yu Shou Master?