Chapter 1272: Call Me, Water Ghost

"Self-detonate?!"

"He wants to self-detonate!"

As that chaotic, surging energy erupted from the Tianji Divine Stone, even though no one could hear Yu Zhiwen's voice, they all realized what Xu Xiaoshou was intending.

It was like embracing Rao Yaoyao and heading together to the Yellow Springs—nothing less!

But...

Why?

No one understood.

Xu Xiaoshou clearly had better options.

He controlled the Tianji Divine Stone, so he could continue a war of attrition with Rao Yaoyao, fighting while channeling the energy into the space rift.

He could keep dragging it out until the Inner Island Seal broke completely because the energy was filled to the brim.

Suddenly, someone shouted loudly, hitting the nail on the head:

"I get it, it's pointless!"

"Xu Xiaoshou has seen his own end. After all, he only succeeded in taking second place by relying on the eighth Jianxian's sword intent to restrain, and the neglect of Yan Lao and Rao Jian Sheng."

"But in direct combat, even if he manipulates the Tianji Divine Stone, he can't win. In this situation, if the stalemate drags on, Yan Lao might revive from somewhere, and then he has no chance at all."

"But why self-detonate?" Someone still didn't understand.

"Look at the sky up there!"

By now, most people had reacted and looked up.

Those ferocious ghost beasts had stopped their howling, intimidating, and random attacks. They were all staring intently at the battlefield.

In the eyes of all the ghost beasts, there was one word written: Expectation!

After the previous massive energy surge, the membrane between the Inner and Outer Islands was almost pierced. Just one more handful of fuel, and the fire would rage, breaking the seal completely.

Xu Xiaoshou didn't have time to drag out the fight with Rao Yaoyao anymore. If he kept going, any change could undo all his efforts.

But if he chose to self-detonate, taking Rao Yaoyao with him into the space rift...

The energy burst in that instant, once swallowed, would be the final straw that breaks the camel's back, absolutely shattering the seal.

If Rao Yaoyao resisted, her sword techniques and energy would all be devoured by the space rift, feeding the enemy.

But if she didn't resist...

Could a fragile ancient sword cultivator withstand the self-detonation of the mighty Tianji Divine Stone?

"How vicious!"

"Xu Xiaoshou, you have such a venomous heart!"

"That's Rao Xianzi! How could you bear to destroy such a flower with your own hands?"

Once everyone truly understood Xu Xiaoshou's intentions, they realized the depth of his scheming was immeasurable.

He turned the unfavorable factors in the battle into advantages, utilizing every change to the fullest.

In the end, by blowing up the Tianji Divine Stone, he cut off one arm of the Sheng Shen Hall, and by taking Rao Yaoyao down with him, he severed another.

This went beyond ordinary human thinking!

Staying calm and thinking clearly in a holy war was already difficult, but Xu Xiaoshou achieved it to an extreme degree. Most crucially...

"If Xu Xiaoshou has the courage to self-detonate, that means the one controlling the Tianji Divine Stone isn't his true self."

"He..."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's hearts trembled in unison, and they looked toward the figure on the head of the Mo Di Heilong.

There stood a lone, arrogant silhouette, high and isolated.

As if sensing their gazes, he slowly extended his hand, flipped it, and pulled it back.

Without a word, everyone understood his arrogance.

"Everything is part of his plan?"

"With a flip of his hand, clouds form; with another, rain falls?"

Even if some couldn't stand the smug aura Xu Xiaoshou was exuding, they had to admit it.

They were impressed.

As a young talent manipulating a holy war, Xu Xiaoshou was the first in history—none of the eight Zun'an could compare!

"Wujian Shu!"

"Hongmei Sanliu, Luo Ying Jie!"

In the void state, everything inverted, and Rao Yaoyao returned to reality.

"Shikong Yue..."

"Shikong, Ding Ge."

The space-time attributes halted Rao Yaoyao's brief resistance.

"Wang Qing Jian, Shan Hai..."

"Soul Reading! Don't struggle, Rao Ke'ai, come with me to hell!"

Rao Yaoyao's delicate body trembled as she felt her spirit and soul invaded, her sword form interrupted, and her thoughts finally ceased.

All of Rao Yaoyao's resistance methods were anticipated by the Tianji Divine Stone through its database, knowledge base, and her personal habits.

The solutions were fed directly to the second true body.

So, the second true body didn't even need to predict—it was spot-on every time.

As soon as Rao Yaoyao parted her red lips, he knew exactly how to counter.

After three consecutive failed attempts to save herself, Rao Yaoyao had lost her golden window of opportunity.

She was wrapped by the massive limbs of the Tianji Divine Stone like a beast, unable to move, and together they were thrown into the space rift.

Energy chaotic, swelling, exploding...

When everything before her eyes plunged into darkness and all sights vanished, silence reigned absolute.

"Ah..."

The second true body sighed and entered his pre-death melancholy.

"I figured it out long ago. When my true self gave birth to me, the first thing I saw was how weak he was."

"Back then, I knew that many versions of me had fallen before."

"Man is mortal... Oh well, so be it. At least I have a companion in death. Dying under a peony flower, even as a ghost, I'll be flamboyant."

In his final moment, the second true body sent out the Tianji Array Disk.

Inside, it replicated all the information that Tianji Divine Stone No. 2 could extract under the Dao Qiong Cang authority.

From the moment Xu Xiaoshou's true self made this decision, the second true body had foreseen his own fate:

Dao Qiong Cang would modify the Tianji Dao principles and alter this identity, which would inevitably be known to the Dao Hall Master himself.

But Xu Xiaoshou, after thorough consideration, was no longer afraid.

He knew he couldn't hold off the two saints united, so rather than a dismal defeat and death, he'd go for something big:

"Provoke Dao Qiong Cang and force him out!"

I'm going to touch your roots—your Sheng Shen Hall's intelligence and all the information on the Tianji Divine Stone.

Xu Xiaoshou even replicated the nested Tianji Array that created the Tianji Divine Stone. At this point, the Sheng Shen Hall must have some inkling about A Jie, right?

As long as Elder Qiao can use this data, the Sheng Nu side will directly gain a Tianji Divine Stone, while the Sheng Shen Hall loses one.

Can Dao Qiong Cang tolerate that?

Absolutely not!

He must come out!

As players in the game with the eight Zun'an, whoever makes the first move loses—Xu Xiaoshou hadn't forgotten that.

He figured that in the ten breaths it took to back up the data, Dao Qiong Cang would definitely enter the field.

But to his surprise, Dao Qiong Cang stayed put!

Not until the data backup succeeded did any sign of Dao Qiong Cang's backup appear.

Xu Xiaoshou was truly scared.

Gods and ghosts are unpredictable, and at least, he couldn't fathom Dao Qiong Cang's true intentions.

But no fear!

He still had backup plans!

He could get even bolder!

Self-detonate the Tianji Divine Stone, take Rao Yaoyao down with him, break the Inner Island Seal, and eliminate a descendant of the five great Sheng Di families.

With the Inner Island ghost beasts unleashed, the world would be in turmoil.

With Rao Yaoyao dead, the world would be shocked.

Dao Qiong Cang, surely you'd act now, right?

And as soon as you do, the eight Zun'an will follow.

Then, everyone will fall into my trap, and I can slip away safely, leaving the battlefield to you all...

No matter what, Xu Xiaoshou could achieve at least one of these: get the data, break the Inner Island Seal, kill Rao Yaoyao, destroy the Tianji Divine Stone, or draw Dao Qiong Cang in.

The losses? Just an insignificant second true body.

And Xu Xiaoshou's sorrow.

That's all.

This was Xu Xiaoshou's final masterstroke in the grand chess game on the Outer Island of Xukong Island.

Still an open scheme—whether its level was high, no one could evaluate, and probably few on Xukong Island could understand it.

But Xu Xiaoshou felt it deserved the title of "brilliant move."

"Crack!"

"Crack, crack!"

"Crack, crack, crack—"

As the overflowing energy from the space rift spewed out, and the mirror world in the sky cracked like a spiderweb, everyone realized—it was happening!

Once the self-detonation in the space rift detonated, Rao Yaoyao would die, and the Inner Island would be unsealed!

"No! I don't want to die..."

"What do I do? I haven't even had a man yet..."

"The ghost beasts are about to break out!"

The spirit refiners on Xukong Island's Outer Island fell into final panic.

"Goo! Goo! Goo!"

"Gurgle, gurgle! Gurgle, gurgle!"

"Mo Di Heilong is first, Xu Xiaoshou is second in might, wah woo wah woo!"

"Screech!"

In the mirror world outside, the ghost beasts clawing at the cracks entered a frenzy of celebration.

Above the Fallen Abyss ruins, a light rain began to fall.

Yu Ling Di could no longer hide himself. He shouted at the top of his lungs, suppressing his terror:

"Yan Lao—"

He knew Yan Lao was gone.

In the previous energy surge from the Tianji Divine Stone, Yan Lao's body had been blasted to dust. But the Secondary Realm Gate was on Yan Lao.

If there was any miracle left on Xukong Island, it had to come from the Light of Spirit Refining, from the Three Emperors, Yan Wuse!

Whoosh—

As the sky was completely overshadowed by the massive, hideous ghost beasts and the world fell into demonic darkness,

Specks of starlight gathered in the ruins, forming a beam that lit up the void, dazzlingly bright.

"Light!"

With this exalted holy sound, a wheel of scorching white sun pierced through the darkness of Xukong Island, and from it stepped a black silhouette against the light.

Only when the glow faded and the energy receded into his body could they see the true form.

The Three Emperors, Yan Wuse!

Yan Wuse was pitted and scarred from head to toe.

His robes were utterly tattered, a bloodline cutting across his forehead, over his nose bridge, grazing his thin lips, vanishing into his collar, only to reappear amid his exposed abdominal muscles.

His condition was highly unstable—as if one more step would shatter him.

Yet, he stepped forward firmly, holding the Secondary Realm Gate in his right hand, pouring vast energy into it.

Beneath the myriad visions, the world rules of Xukong Island empowered Yan Wuse at this moment. Beside the red-hot Xuan Tie Sword, as the Tianji Divine Stone's self-detonation fully erupted...

Yan Wuse raised the door-shaped artifact high, like a god descending, proclaiming to the sky:

"Secondary Realm Gate, Devour!"

With a hum, the entire Xukong Island paused its tremors briefly.

A colossal ancient gate unfolded above the Fallen Abyss space rift, its doors opening and closing.

Boom!

On Xukong Island, all the spirit refiners trembled in their eyes, as if seeing the Tianji Divine Stone's self-detonation energy completely devoured by the Secondary Realm Gate.

"He's alive!"

"Yan Lao is here; we're saved!"

"Rao Xianzi can survive! Thank goodness, I knew she wouldn't die!"

"Ha ha ha ha, the Light of Spirit Refining—this is our Sheng Shen Hall's Light of Spirit Refining!"

"Ghost beasts want to escape? Not a chance! All you ghost things, get back to your nests!"

"Standing before you is the Three Emperors, Yan Wuse!"

Cheers erupted across Xukong Island, echoing the massive booms from the Fallen Abyss.

Until, above the Fallen Abyss space rift, beneath the Secondary Realm Gate, a massive mushroom cloud pushed upward.

Layer upon layer...

As the energy that shattered tens of thousands of miles of space and thrust up towering smoke was released and felt,

A heat wave swept from the Fallen Abyss, clearing the Sin One Hall and plunging the world into brief silence.

"What... what's happening?"

"Impossible, this can't be!"

"Did Yan Lao's attack fail?"

Everyone's faces turned pale, lips quivering in disbelief.

Even Yan Wuse was stunned. He gripped the door-shaped artifact, his back chilling.

The Secondary Realm Gate had activated!

This power, driven by a semi-saint, was clearly aimed at the Tianji Divine Stone's self-detonation!

But...

After the ancient gate opened and closed, the explosion didn't stop?

Was the Secondary Realm Gate just a decoration?

"Me?"

Yan Wuse felt like a god who had descended only to realize he forgot his clothes, awkwardly suspended in the air.

He lowered his head, staring at the door-shaped artifact in his hand.

Then he looked up at the Secondary Realm Gate's shadow looming over the black hole that had spread for hundreds of thousands of miles.

"Secondary Realm Gate, Devour?"

Yan Wuse channeled power again.

The distant ancient gate opened and closed once more.

This time, everyone heard clearly... no sound, no "boom"!

That "boom" was the Tianji Divine Stone's self-detonation—they had just imagined it being devoured by the Secondary Realm Gate.

"Secondary Realm Gate, Devour!"

Yan Wuse tried again, refusing to believe it.

The ancient gate opened and closed again, like a mirage or a bubble.

"Devour!"

"Devour for me!"

Yan Wuse completely lost it.

The one being taken by the Tianji Divine Stone's self-detonation was Rao Yaoyao!

How could the Secondary Realm Gate not work?

How could Rao Yaoyao die?!

Drizzle turned to downpour above the Fallen Abyss ruins.

Yu Ling Di stood frozen, staring at the savior-like figure in the sky, his body starting to tremble.

"Yan Lao?"

He staggered forward a step, mouth agape, unable to speak.

"Rao..."

"I..."

"Ah, ha ha, what... what are you doing..."

His eyes bulged, filled with bloodshot veins.

He couldn't believe that at this crucial moment, Yan Wuse, holding his Secondary Realm Gate, had pulled such a stunt.

Was Rao Yaoyao just... dead?

Dead from the Tianji Divine Stone's self-detonation.

Dead because of Yan Wuse's... betrayal?

Tap, tap, tap!

The torrential rain pounded, each drop exploding on the ground like the turbulent waves in Yu Ling Di's heart.

"Yan Wuse!!"

With a hum, the water-attribute mystic array unfolded, and Yu Ling Di shot upward, eyes red with rage, roaring in disbelief:

"What are you doing?!"

"Where's the power of the Secondary Realm Gate?!"

"You chose to return, but you chose betrayal?!"

Betrayal?

The word echoed, and the entire Xukong Island shook.

Everyone's mentality collapsed, staring in disbelief at the figure in the sky, that beacon of Light of Spirit Refining.

Me?

Betrayal?

A thunderbolt struck Yan Wuse's mind, leaving a brief blank.

He stared blankly at the Secondary Realm Gate in his hand, murmuring unconsciously:

"A moment of folly..."

"A moment of folly?" Yu Ling Di went completely berserk, charging forward like a wild beast. "You killed my Rao Yaoyao—I'll kill you!"

Slap, slap, slap!

The rain lashed Yan Wuse's face.

The coldness jolted him awake, and he suddenly reacted.

"Yu Ling Di, stop!"

"I didn't betray; this Secondary Realm Gate has a prob—"

His words cut off abruptly, his pupils dilated in shock, as if realizing something.

But it was too late!

Yu Ling Di didn't stop!

He turned into a black light, piercing straight through Yan Wuse's heart!

Rumble—

In that instant, thunder roared across the nine heavens, dark clouds gathered.

The torrential rain poured over the Fallen Abyss, Sin One Hall, the nine great forbidden zones, and the entire Xukong Island.

"Urk!"

Yan Wuse's eyes bulged, his face still showing disbelief.

He felt the world darken, and looking down, it wasn't an illusion.

The world had truly gone dark!

The ink-black rain under the thunder turned Yan Wuse completely pitch-black.

"Ink... rain..."

Yan Wuse opened his mouth wide, straining to speak, but could only manage fragments: "You... are..."

Yu Ling Di passed through him and landed behind, back to back.

His frenzied state for Rao Yaoyao's vengeance vanished completely. Amid the lightning and storm, he looked serene:

"Yes, you're right; you didn't betray."

"The one who deceived you was me."

Yu Ling Di raised his hand, calmly wiping the black rain from his face, then slicked back his wet, messy hair, revealing a face with faint stubble, hardened and mature—not a young man's face at all.

This face was weathered, rich with history.

"Heh..." "Yu Ling Di" smirked, shaking his head with a mocking laugh.

Then, he reached into his clothes, as if pulling something out.

At that moment, Yan Wuse finally connected everything and understood.

Clutching the bloody hole in his chest, he whirled around, his expression deranged, emotions exploding:

"Yu! Mo!!"

A blinding light erupted from Yan Wuse, and his semi-saint status flew from his head.

In the downpour, he burned like a flame, terrifying semi-saint fluctuations radiating outward, ready to counterattack.

"Forget it, don't call me Yu Mo—we're not that close..."

The middle-aged man activated the water-attribute mystic array under his feet and waved his right hand.

Before Yan Wuse could strike, the Secondary Realm Gate in his hand transformed into a long spear, piercing through his chest again, nearly splitting him in two.

Pfft!

Blood sprayed, and Yan Wuse stopped thinking, his upper body almost severed, staring down in disbelief: "Secondary... Realm Gate..."

"From the start, it was never the Secondary Realm Gate. I just didn't expect you to be so weakened by Xu Xiaoshou that you could only activate it now."

"I've waited so long, so long."

The middle-aged man chuckled as he turned, grabbing the Yu Hai Shen Ji that flew to him, and thrust it toward the depleted Yan Wuse, easily blasting out his semi-saint status.

At the same time, his left hand finally emerged from his clothes, holding a golden item. With a hook of the Yu Hai Shen Ji, the semi-saint status flew over.

He lowered his head, wet hair falling, and gently hung the golden beast mask over his prominent nose bridge.

Only then did he lift his head, surveying all around, gazing over the entire Xukong Island as if reminiscing, letting out a soft laugh before looking at the man before him.

"Yan Wuse, long time no see."

"But let's use a different name... Call me, Water Ghost!"