Chapter 1330: Good Good Good

Chaos.

There was no distinction between clear and turbid.

There was no yin or yang, no four seasons, no rules or order.

This was a special divine space, where one felt as if submerged in flowing lake slurry—obscure and difficult to control, even thoughts grinding to a halt.

Chest tightness and shortness of breath—these were the only sensations Xu Xiaoshou experienced.

This feeling was infinitely more unbearable than entering a special world through an extraction-type passive skill.

The latter was not uncomfortable at all; in fact, it was quite enjoyable.

Instinctively, Xu Xiaoshou took a breath, only to feel his soul swallow a mouthful of filth, nearly making him vomit.

Like drowning, he flailed and grabbed, and astonishingly, he actually grasped something!

With a solid object in hand, he felt like he had found footing on solid ground, which brought a bit of relief.

But only a little!

"Time."

A warm, smooth voice echoed in his ear, and the object clenched in his hand glowed faintly.

It was as if something began flowing through his life force, allowing Xu Xiaoshou to finally see the world clearly.

Blurred, viscous, hazy... still, nothing was discernible!

But what he held was the Shi Zu Ying Zhang—this much he could confirm.

This divine weapon granted time to this space, or rather, to himself within this space.

Thus, a portion of the space's dimensions around Xu Xiaoshou expanded, pulling him into a suitable environment where he could breathe and think normally.

"Kong Yuhen?"

Glancing to the side, he saw Kong Yuhen nearby, also pulled into this world.

However, in this divine space, Kong Yuhen's form was extremely blurred, faintly splitting into two parts.

Time and space flowed distinctly within his human-like body, tracing the marks of the great dao.

Looking closely, his body had transformed into two intricate diagrams, filled with complex dao patterns.

But trying to observe and memorize them carefully only led to dizziness, as the diagrams turned into a jumbled mess of blurred lines, impossible to recall.

"Thank you!"

Xu Xiaoshou said, slightly alarmed, realizing this might be Kong Yuhen's true form.

In this special space, everything returned to its primal chaos, and Kong Yuhen had reverted to his essence.

Yet within his body, space and time advanced in perfect harmony, with no dominance of one over the other.

"This guy really just forgot, rather than not knowing."

"When he remembers, it might be the moment Ba Zun An spoke of, when his mastery of time mysteries reaches perfection."

Xu Xiaoshou secretly noted in his mental ledger: never provoke Kong Yuhen.

But thankfully, the guy was powerful and kind.

Otherwise, with his own low cultivation, without Kong Yuhen's help just now, adapting from zero to one in this world would have wasted an unknown amount of time.

"How is it?"

From a distance came a voice with echoes, ethereal and faint.

Though it was just a casual inquiry, the sound swept through all directions, rippling the chaos and nearly separating clear from turbid.

Xu Xiaoshou's soul ached from it—a sharp, stabbing pain like swords and needles piercing from within to his nerves.

His entire body twisted in agony, rendering him speechless; he could only strain to turn his gaze toward the source of the voice.

There, a stranger in white robes approached with steady steps—perfectly proportioned, extraordinarily handsome, with long, unrestrained black hair and sharp, fierce black eyes like lightning and light.

Behind his tall figure, two illusory giant swords crossed—one purple, one gold—while at his waist hung two long swords, one black and one green.

Though he appeared minuscule in this chaotic world, like an ant, each step he took built his presence like a giant devouring mountains and rivers, rising steadily until it towered into the clouds.

"You are..."

"Ba Zun An?"

Xu Xiaoshou looked and felt his eyes sting, nearly bleeding.

This aura of unparalleled elegance, piercing through ages, was unlike Ba Zun An's disheveled appearance in the outside world—he had seen it once before, when he first opened the "Guan Jian Dian."

Ba Zun An's true form?

Indeed... Xu Xiaoshou immediately thought of his teacher, the amiable Ji Ren Xian, whose essence was a ferocious sword image.

All ancient sword cultivators were like this; how could Ba Zun An be any different?

Beneath his frail exterior, his ambition had never waned; from beginning to end, he remained as spirited as in his youth.

"This should be the remnants of Tian Zu's Shen Ting..."

"But like the incomplete spirit of Tian Zu, it's only a fragment left, with the world in utter chaos."

Ba Zun An spoke, evidently noticing the distress in Xu Xiaoshou's soul reaction to his current true form.

He glanced down at himself and chuckled lightly: "Rare, to restore even a fraction of my power."

"You're too dazzling..." Xu Xiaoshou struggled to speak.

In this state, even conversing with Ba Zun An felt incredibly difficult.

Once he shed all disguises, he was terrifyingly unapproachable!

It felt just like facing a Sheng Di directly, unable to look up.

"Just a moment."

Ba Zun An pondered briefly, reaching for the illusory green sword at his waist.

With a click.

The sword shattered instantly.

Ba Zun An paused, then laughed self-deprecatingly: "Almost forgot, it's all fake..."

He let go, simply lifting his gaze slightly.

"Boom!"

In the chaotic world, sword intent surged like tidal waves from beneath his feet.

In an instant, heavens birthed flowers, life burst forth; the nine swords of chaos decreed the eight directions; one became myriad, upholding the dao—shaping the world's foundation.

Then, the green river flowed, defining truth from falsehood; illusions vanished, turning void to reality; the great Buddha wielded a sword, separating turbid from clear—the world began to evolve.

Finally, a hundred ghosts patrolled the realms, establishing reincarnation; all laws converged, returning to simplicity; the red dust of life brewed troubles—the world fell into order.

In merely half a breath, Xu Xiaoshou lost that sticky discomfort of being in lake slurry, feeling as free as a fish in water.

Yet, gazing at the vivid world around him, he didn't know what expression to wear.

Lowering his head in a daze, his soul had gained substance, even the texture of his hands feeling incredibly real.

Looking again at Ba Zun An...

Ba Zun An, after that sword strike, had returned to his frail outward appearance, no longer blinding like the sun.

But the power within him, Xu Xiaoshou dared not delve into deeply.

Up to now, this guy had only used one move, the Great Buddha Slash, against Gou Wuyue in the Eight Palaces; otherwise, he hadn't drawn his sword.

So, beneath that sheep's skin, you're this ferocious!

"What is this?" Xu Xiaoshou asked, looking at the surrounding world.

Ba Zun An smiled: "The second world, a world tailored for you. Now, you shouldn't feel that discomfort anymore, right?"

The second world...

Huan Jiu Wan, Mo Wuxin, Gui Zang Qing...

The nine great sword techniques, wielded as easily as an extension of his arm, instantly sketching a real world...

Xu Xiaoshou didn't know what to say.

He thought of Xiao Kong Dong, who collapsed into sleep after using one sword for the second world.

Maybe that's why Xiao Da Zui was so powerful yet still worshiped Ba Zun An.

They were on entirely different levels!

Ba Zun An quickly turned his gaze to the distant horizon, no longer paying attention to Xu Xiaoshou.

Creating the second world was effortless, purely because Xu Xiaoshou's cultivation was too low, and he could easily die in the Shen Ting.

With that done, Ba Zun An returned to the main matter, calling out from afar:

"As you can see, your Shen Ting can't trap me, and you've seen my abilities."

"This is your last chance; you should show yourself."

Shen Ting... Xu Xiaoshou was surprised by Ba Zun An's bold words, daring to speak to an ancient true god like this, while also pondering the chaotic world beyond the second world.

He recalled that when he obtained the Tian Zu inheritance, he had been trapped in a special state, nearly ruining everything.

Back then, without Kong Yuhen's gift of time or Ba Zun An's creation of the second world, the long introduction from the Void Island spirit would have ended, and he'd have had to rely solely on his final will to break free.

"It's the Shen Ting!"

Xu Xiaoshou finally realized that Tian Zu wasn't truly a benevolent figure.

If he hadn't escaped, he might have been killed by external forces in that muddled state, body and soul destroyed.

As for his consciousness lingering, it was because his soul was trapped in the Shen Ting.

That could mean eternal life, but it was also eternal imprisonment!

"I understand..."

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly grasped something.

Why would the Tian Zu inheritance trap his soul? Everything must have a purpose.

Linking it to the vast Void Island, which had no life before descending on the Sheng Shen Continent—no people, not even many Void Servants.

And the Void Island spirit, muddled and unclear, what could sustain its undying state?

It probably had to devour powerful souls to draw strength!

Thus, it could maintain the so-called Tian Zu inheritance, but to sustain it, it needed to keep devouring souls—a vicious cycle!

Xu Xiaoshou felt there were likely others besides himself, Ba Zun An, and Bei Huai who had obtained the Tian Zu inheritance.

Some must have failed to escape and become nourishment to keep the Void Island spirit awake!

"Tsk tsk..."

In that moment, Xu Xiaoshou's hair stood on end as he thought about how, under the protection of Tian Zu's power, no one had stirred up killings before, and the Void Clan should have multiplied again by now.

These things were better not dwelled upon!

Lifting his gaze to follow, on the distant "horizon," a blurred, gray, massive eye soon appeared.

It wasn't lively; instead, it seemed drowsy, barely holding on, materializing in the chaos to observe the wonderful second world below.

"Latter one, good!"

An ethereal sound suddenly rippled from all directions, like grand bells cleansing the soul.

Xu Xiaoshou's heart raced.

The voice of the Tian Zu spirit!

This thing had consciousness and could communicate!

"No need for pretense; you're running out of time, so I'll keep it short."

Ba Zun An met its turbid eyes with no emotion, raising his voice:

"You should see that with my current power, confronting the five Sheng Di families' restrictions on Void Island's inner island is barely possible."

"Like you, my time is limited. Once my strength fades, you'll be suppressed by them again."

"After this confrontation, they'll know everything."

"From now on, situations like Rao Wang Ze ascending to Void Island and challenging your spirit will only increase, or even worse, multiple Sheng Di might gather to slay you next time."

Pausing, Ba Zun An shifted his tone:

"Therefore, our deal is..."

"The outer island of Void Island is in my hands; no external forces will invade, and I'll protect the Void Clan for you."

"As for the inner island, when the time comes, the five Sheng Di families won't be able to restrain it anymore. Beings that don't belong there will leave, returning your pure land."

Only after hearing this did Xu Xiaoshou realize that obtaining the Ci Mian Zhi Men only granted full control of the outer island.

The inner island's ghost beasts couldn't easily emerge yet; the five Sheng Di families had imposed other seals?

But thinking about it, that made sense—it was one of the Seven Duan Jin!

If they could exit so easily, who would overlook the existence of the Ci Mian Zhi Men?

Ba Zun An must have put in a lot of effort to scheme for the Ci Mian Zhi Men from under the Sheng Di's arrangements, perhaps standing on the shoulders of giants like the three Bai Mai ancestors and the Mo Di Hei Long's century-long plans.

Still, it was impressive!

The gray eye in the void flickered, fixated on Ba Zun An, as if deep in thought.

Soon, the sound echoed again: "When?"

"At the time."

"When is that time?"

"I don't know—maybe tomorrow, maybe the day after, maybe three years, maybe a thousand years... But you have no choice but to trust me."

Ba Zun An smiled, as if he had Tian Zu's spirit cornered:

"They won't negotiate with you like I do."

"And I wouldn't be here making this deal if I didn't need something from you."

"This is your best opportunity. As for the next one, if you want to wait... ha!"

A hint of arrogance flashed in Ba Zun An's eyes as he sneered:

"In a hundred generations, no one matches my talent; in ten thousand years, no greater genius will arise. You don't have time to wait, and you won't find anyone stronger than me."

The chaotic world trembled violently, Shen Ting spawning disasters, even shaking the second world to the brink of collapse.

Xu Xiaoshou broke into a cold sweat listening.

Was this a deal?

This was outright threat and coercion!

Was this how Ba Zun An defined a "deal"?

Even Kong Yuhen sensed the Tian Zu spirit's fury, his eyes showing surprise as he lightly covered his lips.

Ba Zun An ignored it, saying coldly: "Three breaths; if you don't speak, once I seal my godhood, I'll strike you first!"

Shen Ting stopped trembling, and the disasters vanished instantly.

A voice drifted in, calm and intimate, betraying no anger:

"Good."

It was done just like that?

Not only Xu Xiaoshou, but even Kong Yuhen was stunned.

Ba Zun An's thoughts were crystal clear as he continued:

"Very well, since the deal is made, and you've paid so much, we should discuss the conditions."

"One, Void Island will relinquish authority to me; you must not influence or interfere with the dominant forces of the Ci Mian Zhi Men."

"Two, I hear you have some connection with the Zhan Shen Guan; I need your help for the next opening of the Ran Ming site."

"Three, this person is named Xu Xiaoshou, a disciple of the Hundred Schools, proficient in a thousand paths, with talent far surpassing mine, a gift that shines through the ages. His future achievements will surely exceed mine; he's more suitable than I am to receive your inheritance. What do you think?"

"Receiving praise, passive value, 1."

"Receiving scrutiny, passive value, 3."

Xu Xiaoshou never expected Ba Zun An to say this outright, suddenly feeling immense pressure.

The other two aside, even the drowsy gray eye in the void now gleamed with interest, staring at him.

"Huff!"

Xu Xiaoshou exhaled deeply, straightened his chest, lifted his head, and flourished his sleeve:

"Heaven does not birth Xu Xiaoshou; the Void would be in eternal darkness!"

The world fell silent.

Even Ba Zun An's eyes showed a flicker of surprise, as if he hadn't expected Xu Xiaoshou to speak so eloquently and fittingly.

After a long pause, the Tian Zu spirit withdrew its gaze, accepting all the terms—threats or deals:

"Good."