Chapter 1265: I Am That Key

Not only Rao Yao Yao, but even Xu Xiaoshou was startled.

Those bizarre roars, shrieks, and the hideous faces pressed against the spatial barrier looked like pieces of a nightmare stitched together.

"This is the gui shou of Nei Dao?" Xu Xiaoshou asked, tugging at the dragon horn, but it wouldn't budge.

"Otherwise?" Mo Di Heilong glanced over, recognizing some familiar faces. "This is just too..."

"Too what?"

"Too unexpected!"

Xu Xiaoshou pondered his words and let out a gasp of amazement.

He realized his first impression of gui shou had been overly positive.

In his memories, beings like Feng Yu Jin, Xin Gu Gu, and Han Tian Zhi You, even when revealing their true forms, could be considered "marvels."

But they weren't quite at the level of "ugly" or "ferocious."

Instead, the smaller ones had a quirky charm, and the larger ones an odd appeal—something that, after the initial surprise, people could accept.

Of course, they wouldn't spout absurd things like "Humans, so delicious," and they were generally friendly toward people.

But the gui shou now emerging from Nei Dao were terrifying!

Not only did they let out strange laughs from time to time, but their eyes and words were filled with a twisted hunger for "flesh," a perversion born from long suppression.

"They don't match what you expected? Didn't Ba Zun An tell you about them?" Mo Di Heilong asked.

Far from just not matching, Xu Xiaoshou felt that this pack of wolves and tigers deserved to be locked away in Xu Kong Dao's Nei Dao based on their appearances alone!

If they were all released, nothing good would come of it.

"No wonder they're confined..." At that moment, Xu Xiaoshou understood Sheng Shen Dian Tang's reasoning and even thought Ba Zun An was the real villain.

Mo Di Heilong overheard the mutter and was about to defend his underlings.

But suddenly, it sensed something, swung its dragon head around, and glared coldly.

Instantly, a peacock head that had been lurking near the base of the black dragon's tail, curiously examining some black object, panicked and fled in terror.

"Caw—"

That was... Lord Mo Di Heilong's?

The hideous faces from the mirror world noticed the fear in that caw and turned their heads, ready to help intimidate the human.

But as soon as they saw the true form of the black dragon, they scrambled backward in panic, howling chaotically and keeping away from the spatial mirror.

"Quiet down, all of you!"

Mo Di Heilong roared in anger, clearly annoyed by the racket.

It was fed up with these idle creatures who turned even a simple appearance into a game of scaring people.

These fools had no idea that the one they scared was Xu Xiaoshou—the future second Ba Zun An, the most promising ally.

With a whoosh, all the malicious cries from the mirror world vanished, replaced by murmurs of surprise:

"Lord Mo Di Heilong?"

"He's on Wai Dao? Flying so high, I almost didn't notice..."

"That's not right—he's still coiled on his territory... Hiss, another thought projection? How enviable."

"Great! Lord Mo Di Heilong went first, so us from the black lineage might escape Nei Dao too."

"Chirrup chirrup! You from the white lineage, are you jealous? Chirrup chirrup!"

"Lord Mo Di Heilong, break the seal quickly!"

"Out! I want out! Eek—"

Now, even the ling shi on Xu Kong Dao could see emotions like reverence, fear, and anticipation on those monstrous faces.

Because of Mo Di Heilong?

Few on Wai Dao knew the true origins of Mo Di Heilong or the existence of Nei Dao.

But piecing together the recent events and the gui shou's words and reactions... "Why are there so many gui shou on Xu Kong Dao?"

This question that had just arisen seemed to get a solid answer.

"I once heard that Tian Kong Zhi Cheng, or Xu Kong Dao, has legends of a confinement city or a place of exile."

"But the stories say that those who go to Xu Kong Dao seeking the Feng Sheng Dao Ji rarely come back."

"This is another kind of 'confinement' or 'exile'..."

"But now, it might not be that simple?"

"Xu Kong Dao is divided into Nei Dao and Wai Dao—we're on Wai Dao, and Nei Dao holds the gui shou? If the timing is right, they could break out?"

After getting over the initial panic of seeing so many ferocious gui shou, the ling shi on the island regained their composure and began analyzing the situation.

These speculations about Xu Kong Dao's inner and outer islands were supported not only by the current scene but also by nods from those in the know.

Once the ling shi realized something was off and chose to speak up, the secrets of Xu Kong Dao spread like wildfire.

Rumble...

The massive earthquake shaking all of Wai Dao continued.

On the dragon's head, Xu Xiaoshou watched as the mirror world's image shifted between clear and blurry due to the unstable space. He immediately looked down and asked:

"What exactly was Ba Zun An's task for you?"

Without a doubt, the villains in Nei Dao needed someone even more vicious, like Mo Di Heilong, to keep them in check.

Otherwise, releasing them would cause total chaos.

But Xu Xiaoshou couldn't understand Ba Zun An's choice right now.

After all, Mo Di Heilong had been restricted by Wai Dao's rules after that earlier strike, making it hard for him to act effectively.

If the gui shou from Nei Dao all rushed out now, it would be like having no leader.

Even if Ba Zun An showed up, they might bow their heads temporarily.

But afterward? More likely, they'd play along on the surface while defying in secret, just like Feng Yu Jin and the thought projection of Mo Di Heilong trying to escape from Yun Lun Shan Mai.

Xu Xiaoshou knew that even this thought projection of Mo Di Heilong under his feet was cooperating only because of his presence.

So now, he desperately needed to know what prior plan Ba Zun An and Mo Di Heilong had made.

If the plan was to release the Nei Dao gui shou, he could go along with it, but he needed to know how to cooperate and what measures would follow—some foundation to work from.

If not, Xu Xiaoshou wanted to understand the next steps; he didn't want to be a pawn moving blindly into the unknown.

"Ba Zun An's task..."

Mo Di Heilong's eyes flickered.

The sounds and images from Nei Dao faded again due to the spatial tremors.

It thought for a moment and, since things had come this far, decided not to hide it anymore. Hesitating, it said: "Actually, he didn't spell it out clearly. He just said 'chaos,' the more the better."

"If possible, stir up 'chaos' aimed at Sheng Shen Dian Tang—taking out a saint would be even better."

But not necessarily killing?

In that instant, Xu Xiaoshou felt like he'd been struck by lightning and understood.

Mo Di Heilong, like himself, was just a free-moving piece with no fixed path.

Thinking about it that way, a lot of things fell into place.

After all, who could plan everything in advance and be absolutely certain that future events would unfold exactly as intended?

Even someone as unfathomable as Dao Qiong Cang probably couldn't do that. In a stable state, changes happen in an orderly way, but they're also relatively stagnant.

Only "chaos"!

The more chaos, the less stable the situation.

Fools fear change, but the clever can seize it in the turmoil to achieve their goals.

Xu Xiaoshou recalled what Ba Zun An had told him in Gu Jin Wang You Lou.

That guy had even complained that his ability to cause trouble had weakened and hadn't blown up the entire Xu Kong Dao.

Since "blowing it up" was the effect Ba Zun An wanted from Mo Di Heilong's emergence, then...

"Liberating Nei Dao and taking out a saint—Ba Zun An wants both!"

"He's pursuing both at once, but he doesn't know exactly how things will develop, so he'll adapt on the fly, switching between the two based on changes?"

With that realization, Xu Xiaoshou suddenly understood. Gripping the dragon horn, he asked: "Dragon Bao, did that old Ba tell you how to cooperate in liberating Nei Dao?"

Rumble!

Xu Kong Dao shook again, and the space turned transparent.

Those hideous and vile faces reappeared, crowding against Wai Dao like they were licking a screen, mouths wide open and drooling.

"Roar roar, we see it again!"

"Chirrup! Chirrup! Lord Mo Di Heilong, free us quickly!"

"Caw—"

Panic spread across the island once more.

But high in the sky, Mo Di Heilong shook his head slightly: "I don't know."

You useless... Xu Xiaoshou nearly cursed out loud.

Soon, though, he had a feeling and glanced toward the depths of Duo Yuan.

In the distant blur, he vaguely saw Rao Yao Yao hovering with her sword pointed diagonally.

Yan Wuse had retreated below to join... Yu Ling Di!

"What are they up to?"

Yu Ling Di, the gate of the secondary plane...

Yan Wuse, a half-saint!

In an instant, Xu Xiaoshou figured out their purpose.

They were using the gate of the secondary plane to restabilize the seal and completely exile Nei Dao, leaving no chance for the gui shou to escape.

That, in turn, was the opposite of what Ba Zun An wanted!

How to counter it?

Xu Xiaoshou didn't expect Mo Di Heilong to suddenly say, "Oh, I remember."

He quickly searched on his own, and his gaze was soon drawn to an intense sword intent. There was a red-hot xuan tie sword embedded in the Duo Yuan space, trembling slightly and emitting a faint hum.

Surprisingly, it was this ordinary sword that had twice absorbed violent energy, like a key to unlocking Nei Dao's gate.

It should have been eye-catching, yet it had been overlooked time and again.

Even Rao Yao Yao...

Now standing above Duo Yuan, she was only warily watching the gui shou in the mirror world, as if facing a great enemy, while completely ignoring the red-hot xuan tie sword.

"You must recognize that sword!" Xu Xiaoshou pointed down with certainty.

"Yes, I do." Mo Di Heilong's response was matter-of-fact. "I even placed a Sheng Di guidance on it back in Nei Dao."

"What guidance?"

"Uh, let me think... 'World, ignore me'?"

Click. It was as if lightning flashed in Xu Xiaoshou's mind, and everything connected. This dim-witted dragon had overlooked this crucial information!

Wasn't this basically Ba Zun An whispering the answer? The gate of the secondary plane's holy slaves couldn't get it.

But through years of scheming and alliances inside and out, Ba Zun An had found a second way to open Xu Kong Dao's Nei Dao gate!

And the most vital part of it...

I am that key!

"Dragon Bao, attack! Blast that sword with your energy—shove it into the spatial rift if you have to. Give it everything you've got!"

"I've already made a move, and Wai Dao's rules restrict me. If I act again, I might not be able to protect you next."

"Don't worry about that—just attack!"

"Those two saints from Sheng Shen Dian Tang aren't dead yet..."

"Don't worry about it!"

Xu Xiaoshou slapped the big fleshy bump on Mo Di Heilong's head.

He was tempted to tell this scheming but dim dragon that he was basically a genuine dragon-shaped power bank.

But if he did, he'd have to explain what a power bank was.

Xu Xiaoshou had figured out how Ba Zun An was using Mo Di Heilong.

No need to explain the process or try to make him understand.

I say it, you do it.

That way, big things could be accomplished!

Mo Di Heilong let out a roar, and as he noticed the space stabilizing and the mirror world becoming clear, his cry stopped abruptly. Maintaining his cold, superior demeanor, he opened his dragon maw.

"Boom!"

A blast of black demonic breath shot out like a meteor, creating a destructive beam that hurtled toward the red-hot xuan tie sword below.

"Hmm?"

Above Duo Yuan, Rao Yao Yao looked up gracefully.

She didn't know what Mo Di Heilong intended—it wasn't aimed at her or Yan Wuse.

But that didn't stop her from deciding immediately:

Whatever the enemy wants to do, that's what I need to stop.

"Wang Jian · Tian Zi Zhu!"

With a slash through the air, a dazzling sword light cut straight toward the destructive demonic breath.

Boom!

The breath hadn't even landed when the sword light split it in two, sending the halves flying outward.

However, the red-hot xuan tie sword seemed to treat it as a feast, trembling slightly as the surrounding spatial rifts generated a violent suction.

Sizzle!

The demonic breath was swallowed up.

The sword light's power lingered briefly before being consumed as well.

Rumble...

Xu Kong Dao shook violently again.

The membrane between the mirror world and Wai Dao seemed even thinner!

The gui shou faces in Nei Dao became clearer, their shouts more piercing:

"Eek eek! It's coming, it's coming!"

"Gurgle! Gurgle!"

"Lord Mo Di Heilong, I am forever your loyal servant—let me embrace freedom again!"

"Caw—"

Rao Yao Yao froze.

She sensed something was wrong.

That sword...

"That's it!"

On the dragon's head, Xu Xiaoshou's eyes lit up. Gripping Mo Di Heilong's dragon horn, he shouted hoarsely:

"Attack!"

"Keep attacking, Dragon Bao!"

"Until you reach your limit, unleash everything—aim to shatter that xuan tie sword. Don't stop!"

Of course, the xuan tie sword couldn't be shattered.

But every time Mo Di Heilong attacked, Rao Yao Yao would intercept.

That way, the spatial rifts would devour double the power!

And from what the sword had already absorbed—from the holy tribulation to Mo Di Heilong's judgment—the more it consumed, the more it would erode Nei Dao's seal.

Nei Dao's breakthrough was imminent!

As for what happened after, Xu Xiaoshou thought, that wasn't his problem. Since he understood what Ba Zun An wanted, cooperating to completely blow up Xu Kong Dao was the way.

Next...

He'd said it himself—he'd handle the fallout!

"Is that so?"

Mo Di Heilong seemed to grasp something too, stopping his overthinking. His dragon body shifted, and he opened his maw again. "Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Buzz..."

Compressed seeds of violent dragon breath formed before his head, ready to obliterate Xu Kong Dao once more.

"So, blowing up Xu Kong Dao means this..."

Xu Xiaoshou pushed off with his feet and soared into the air.

Transforming into the double-winged black demonic berserker giant, he raised his hands, and energy seeds leaped from his ten fingers.

"Sheng · Five Finger Mark Seed Technique!"

"Sheng · Five Finger..."

One after another.

Under the horrified gaze of all the ling shi on Xu Kong Dao and the tense anticipation of the gui shou in the mirror world,

Mo Di Heilong and the double-winged black demonic berserker giant targeted the island below, unleashing a devastating energy barrage and staging a world-ending spectacle!

"I..."

Rao Yao Yao looked up at the apocalyptic scene, her scalp tingling.

Gripping her sword, she lost the decisiveness expected of an ancient sword cultivator and fell into a torturous struggle:

Should I stop this, or just let it be?