Chapter 1349: Eight Directions Search for Traces, Winds and Clouds Gather; Unintentional Chess Sets Up Chaos

The Spirit of Long Xing had a touch of a tsundere personality.

After Xu Xiaoshou agreed to the collaboration, it became too lazy to bother with this human boy any further. It extended a branch and whisked away the Shi Zu Ying Zhang.

“No resistance?”

Xu Xiaoshou was slightly surprised.

This was his first time seeing a tree, other than himself and Kong Yu Hen, that could not only see the Shi Zu Ying Zhang but also take it away.

And the Shi Zu Ying Zhang was being so obedient?

What a rare sight. By all rights, that staff should have been even more tsundere.

As Xu Xiaoshou pondered this, he tried reaching into the void to grab it.

There came a cracking sound.

The branch that Long Xing had extended snapped in half midway, and the Spirit of Long Xing froze in mid-air.

Xu Xiaoshou looked at the Shi Zu Ying Zhang now in his hand...

Damn, how did it come back?

“Human boy!”

The Spirit of Long Xing glared with fury, its murderous gaze making its previously imposing image vanish like smoke.

“Ahem, please continue, senior. Please continue. That was purely an accident...”

Xu Xiaoshou shrank back meekly and extended the Shi Zu Ying Zhang again.

The Spirit of Long Xing snorted two streams of scorching air from its nostrils, its dragon whiskers whipping wildly in the breeze. But it showed great tolerance, suppressing its anger and giving the human a stern glare before wrapping the Shi Zu Ying Zhang once more.

This time, Xu Xiaoshou didn’t dare play tricks.

“So it really is just borrowed and can’t be controlled at all. With a single thought from me, the Shi Zu Ying Zhang comes right back.”

As he mused, the Spirit of Long Xing had already begun its work.

It truly had the capital to be tsundere—or rather, it had it in spades!

In Xu Xiaoshou’s eyes, evolving a world was something even ordinary half-saints couldn’t do, like Jiang Bu Yi.

But the Spirit of Long Xing was an ancient being that had seen every storm and faced every challenge.

As one of the world trees, evolving a realm was effortless for it.

When the Shi Zu Ying Zhang was drawn into the canopy, the Spirit of Long Xing retreated into the Long Xing tree, as if entering slumber.

The next second, the intricate dragon patterns on the trunk of the ancestral tree lit up, emitting a dazzling golden light.

Though there was no wind, the sacred medicines in the Shen Nong Medicine Garden trembled in unison and bowed toward the center.

Long Xing began to grow massively, rising section by section.

Under Xu Xiaoshou’s astonished gaze, its height broke through ten zhang, then a hundred, then a thousand...

In the end, its height and girth became immeasurable, with the trunk piercing through the clouds.

The Shen Nong Medicine Garden wasn’t torn apart because Long Xing had transformed into a ethereal illusion.

It embedded itself fully into the space, as if merged with the heavens and earth, becoming a vivid pattern.

“World tree...”

Xu Xiaoshou felt the heart-pounding pressure from all directions and recalled the concept.

If previously the Spirit of Long Xing felt like a weakened half-saint at best,

It couldn’t even compare to a single finger of the Qi Shu Da Di!

But now, after merging into the Yuanfu World, Xu Xiaoshou felt as if he were facing a true Sheng Di.

“This is one of the nine great ancestral trees...”

“This guy must be incredibly lazy on a normal day. If it doesn’t act, it could hide until the end of time.”

“Good thing I didn’t completely offend it earlier and kept the proper respect.”

“I knew it—my intuition might not always be spot-on, but it’s reliable. Bearing the title of an ancestral tree, even if it looks weak, it’s not to be messed with.”

The Long Xing pattern lingered in the void, silent for about ten breaths. Then, it fully activated.

Golden light illuminated the entire Yuanfu World.

The illusory pattern swayed, and countless golden branches cascaded from the sky, while the heavens showered endless golden radiance.

These golden specks scattered everywhere, falling into the Shen Nong Medicine Garden, the Poison Fish Pond, the Zhang Estate’s broken tower, the 100,000 Dan Ding... and even into the chaotic mist.

Everything in sight was touched!

“Meow!”

The Greedy God reacted with seven times its usual greed, darting and leaping after the golden specks, leaving countless afterimages in its delight.

Xu Xiaoshou gazed at this magnificent spectacle, as if witnessing a miracle, and absentmindedly reached out to catch the golden light.

Just then, a ethereal sound descended from the nine heavens, like the tolling of grand bells, profound and enlightening:

“The Dao takes root, saints cast light... The pattern scales appear, the world can be set right...”

“Emptiness is not fixed, time has no equal... Floating ping drifts away, the realm clears the wild...”

“Life and death desire, cycles adorned... Primordial beginning, end in frost...”

The sacred sounds were intermittent and vague, like sand slipping through fingers.

They could be heard, but trying to remember them made them slip from the mind.

Nothing could be retained.

Nothing could be understood.

Yet the world was evolving—this was visible to the eye.

As the golden specks glowed with the sacred sounds, the chaotic mist contracted, the earth took shape, and space fractured, recombined, and was reborn.

Life!

New vitality!

The Yuanfu World transformed rapidly!

Soil was pushed aside, as if plowed by a deity, folding with spatial waves to reveal new land...

Greenery spread, as if blessed by Shen Nong, crawling over the quickly forming hills, grasslands, and swamps...

The changes were too fast and too numerous!

Terrain, water flows, climate, yin and yang, four seasons, elements, sun and moon... and more, coming one after another!

“Too exaggerated.”

Xu Xiaoshou witnessed these divine wonders in his Yuanfu World in such a short time and sighed in amazement.

Long Xing seemed to understand exactly what kind of world he wanted, manipulating god-like power to create a habitable environment.

At this moment, Xu Xiaoshou suddenly grasped the difference between small and great realms at their core.

Admittedly, his previous Yuanfu World could support life, but it lacked even basic climate and yin-yang balance—it was the most rudimentary kind.

It had potential to become the highest realm, but it would require so much, and without the help of an ancestral tree, who knows how many millions of years it would take.

Better than that were spaces like Bai Ku’s alternate dimensions.

Those places weren’t suitable for humans but had the beginnings of a small realm, evolving their own life and world rules.

They weren’t fit for spirit masters but would suit native beings like A Bing or A Huo.

Higher still were great realms, suitable for all races, with perfected rules and self-sustaining cycles.

The Sheng Shen Continent was a prime example.

And what Long Xing was driving now was the evolution of the Yuanfu World toward becoming a great realm.

Even with Long Xing’s help, this process, which clearly demanded immense time and effort and should take countless eons, felt incredibly swift to Xu Xiaoshou.

He stepped onto the Time Dao Disk and quickly sensed that the flow of time in this world had been accelerated by an unknown multiple.

And remarkably, it didn’t affect him at all, showing how masterful Long Xing’s control over power was.

Within the towering Long Xing canopy etched in the void, the Shi Zu Ying Zhang emitted a faint light, manifesting a physical form—its power was being borrowed.

“So that’s what Long Xing meant by needing to borrow the power of time—it’s being used here.” Xu Xiaoshou understood.

In this light, Long Xing’s earlier excitement made sense. He had everything ready; it just needed a single thought from it to make it home.

There was a cracking sound.

Xu Xiaoshou felt something shatter.

He vaguely realized what Long Xing had said before: as the world evolved, the Yuanfu itself would be released.

He sent his second true body out to the external world to sense it.

Sure enough, whenever he entered the Yuanfu World, the “Yuanfu” as a physical object would turn to dust and hide in space.

Now, as the internal world fractured and reorganized, its exterior was no longer a stone but had shattered, becoming formless.

His second true body, standing on the Space Dao Disk, could sense that the Yuanfu World hadn’t lost its form but had fully integrated into space.

It anchored in the spatial fragments, as a single spatial node, encompassing the vast in the small, collapsing inward to become a world.

That node was now the essence of the Yuanfu.

And in the spatial fragments, there were no fully formed spaces, nor any path of time.

So this node had no fixed position and wasn’t limited to being found only outside You Gui Ge.

It could be “anything.”

It could be any spatial node in the East Domain, Central Domain, South Domain, or elsewhere.

As long as he wished and as his master activated it, it could manifest like the Void Island and crash into the Sheng Shen Continent.

Its essence had changed!

Xu Xiaoshou was overjoyed. In the past, he always worried that if he entered the Yuanfu, someone might discover and destroy it, causing the Yuanfu World to collapse.

Now, that vulnerability was gone.

His world was rooted in the void, and no one could fundamentally destroy it.

Even if someone stumbled upon the Yuanfu World’s spatial node by chance, like Liu Changqing accidentally finding the Void Island...

With Long Xing as the world tree—one of the nine great ancestral trees—would it fail to detect or stop intruders?

Would Long Xing allow anyone to enter its protected home freely?

“Space is evolving—do not enter or exit unless it’s a matter of life and death!”

Long Xing was exerting all its power but still had to spare a moment to warn this unreliable human boy.

Xu Xiaoshou quickly replied, “Oh.”

Thinking it over, he decided not to let his second true body enter and just left it outside.

“Hey, what about the snow?”

Outside You Gui Ge, on the long street, children were playing in the snow. One had cupped his hands, and the falling snowflakes should have landed in his palms.

That was common sense.

But strangely, it seemed like a flicker before his eyes, and the snowflake about to touch his palm vanished.

The child muttered and let it go.

Yet similar oddities happened everywhere, some even affecting spirit masters.

Someone had just finished paying for a meal and stepped out of the shop, about to descend the stone steps, but with a illusory step, they were back at the threshold.

“Weird, why does it feel like I took two steps...”

The shopkeeper inside was about to put the spirit crystals in the cabinet when he suddenly found his hand empty and quickly looked toward the door:

“Customer, you haven’t paid!”

“That’s impossible—I just... hey, didn’t I already leave? Why are the spirit crystals still here?”

In Gui Zhe Sheng Mountain, at the Sheng Huan Hall,

Dao Qiong Cang had already dismissed the various troops.

The Ten-Person Council and the six department heads entered the council hall.

Of course, the six departments weren’t qualified enough and had to stand to one side, with no extra seats.

Dao Qiong Cang finished assigning the Tian Zu members’ next actions but hadn’t dismissed everyone when the Tian Ji Si Nan in his hand trembled slightly.

Crack.

The star scoop turned, pointing in a certain direction.

“Dao Hall Master...”

The An Bu head started to speak.

Dao Qiong Cang gazed outside the hall, raising his hand without turning back to stop her.

Everyone fell silent, curiously turning to look in that direction.

Yu Zhi Wen didn’t turn her head.

Her star pupils glowed faintly as she glanced at the Tian Ji Si Nan, which wasn’t hidden and thus could be observed, deciphering something. She pinched her fingers hidden in her sleeve.

“Emptiness.”

Fate is uncertain.

Clouds and rain are unpredictable.

That was Yu Zhi Wen’s answer: emptiness.

This answer was special; Yu Zhi Wen often got it when facing powerless people, events, or things.

Of course, she had gotten the same when divining Xu Xiaoshou’s fate in the Yun Lun Mountains.

“What did you get?” Dao Qiong Cang suddenly turned his gaze.

Yu Zhi Wen was startled and subconsciously lowered her head: “Nothing... I’m too weak.”

“Then I’m weak too.” Dao Qiong Cang smiled. “I got nothing as well.”

Yu Zhi Wen parted her lips slightly, her veil outlining a curve, but she made no sound, her star pupils showing a hint of surprise.

“Emptiness.”

Dao Xuan Ji, in his daoist robes with bound hair, faint brows, thin lips, and empty eyes, held a dust whisk and uttered a single word.

Dao Qiong Cang looked at her with a smile: “So, what does emptiness mean?”

“It is emptiness, and you are not nothing, so no need to beat around the bush—say it.”

Dao Xuan Ji’s expression was utterly calm, devoid of emotion.

She couldn’t divine that place, so surely she could divine Dao Qiong Cang’s interpretation of emptiness here?

“Tsk.”

Dao Qiong Cang clicked his tongue lightly, feeling a bit bored.

In the past, the Ten-Person Council were all like dull geese, staring at his Tian Ji Si Nan glowing red and just saying red meant disaster, gold meant good fortune.

Now things were different; there were more who could divine, and more who would undermine him.

“Interesting, truly interesting...”

Before he finished, Dao Xuan Ji raised her brow and glanced at Dao Qiong Cang.

Dao Qiong Cang’s smile faded, finding it truly uninteresting, and said flatly: “It’s coming.”

“What’s coming?” Yu Zhi Wen asked, her heart stirring for some reason.

Dao Qiong Cang turned to the young girl with a half-smile: “He... is coming.”

Yu Zhi Wen was still pondering the word.

Dao Xuan Ji paid no attention to that, her eyes shifting as she stated:

“Xu Xiaoshou?”

“The Void Island evaded your divination, and now as your only variable, it’s indeed confirmable... When did he arrive?”

Yu Zhi Wen lowered her head, a trace of imperceptible unease in her star pupils, missing what her master said next.

Dao Qiong Cang didn’t answer, as if Dao Xuan Ji was completely wrong.

“Did I guess wrong?”

“You only got half right.”

“Oh, ‘he’ has another half? Then you should say ‘they’.”

“I did.”

“You didn’t.”

“I...” Dao Qiong Cang looked at his stubborn younger sister, who had always competed with him but kept losing yet never gave up, and paused briefly.

He suddenly chuckled, shaking his head: “If I explained, you wouldn’t understand, and you wouldn’t believe it. If we keep going, you’d just argue I’m quibbling, so don’t ask, I won’t say. Let’s call a truce again.”

Dao Xuan Ji’s chest heaved, her lips parting as if to stand.

But catching a glimpse of the many people around, she held back, deciding to give this “Dao Hall Master” some face.

“Did you see it?” Dao Qiong Cang turned to Ai Cang Sheng.

In the Gui Mu wheelchair, Ai Cang Sheng’s eyes swirled with mysterious dao traces, but he shook his head slightly: “I see nothing, but I’ve locked onto a rough location: near Chang Le Street in Yu Jing City.”

Dao Qiong Cang tapped his fingers on the round table and looked toward the six department heads:

“Xi, Nian, it’s your departments’ turn to act.”

“Search Chang Le Street, keep it covert, don’t alert anyone... Well, treat it as dealing with a half-saint, and prioritize your safety.”

Half-saint?

The enemy is a half-saint?

The six department heads were all shocked.

But thinking back to the mention of Xu Xiaoshou’s name, who wasn’t a half-saint but was even more formidable...

Yu Zhi Wen’s veil shifted, but before she could speak,

Dao Qiong Cang didn’t even glance her way: “Everyone else, hold your positions for now. Don’t stir things up.”

“Yes!” The crowd responded in unison, without question, and Yu Zhi Wen swallowed her words.

“Xu Xiaoshou is one of the Seven Sword Immortals; we should send more people, otherwise...” Xi hesitated before speaking.

The enemy wasn’t easy to handle; he had studied it.

Wherever this Holy Slave Xu appeared, massive storms followed.

Maybe this time it wasn’t just one half-saint; if they dug deeper and uncovered a Sheng Di, it would be disastrous.

Dao Qiong Cang didn’t respond, just looked at the young man and said calmly:

“Remember, you’re Tian Zu members now.”

“When facing Holy Slaves, just execute orders unconditionally, no questions needed.”

“Otherwise, you can take this seat.”

The standing figures fell silent as if chilled.

Xi was startled and vaguely understood something.

If Dao Hall Master had thought of it, how could he not have?

He had, yet still arranged it this way, meaning his plans went deeper than anyone could imagine—who was he to question, dare to question, or even qualify to question?

“Yes!” Xi nodded firmly.

“Go, depart immediately, and stay hidden.” Dao Qiong Cang waved, and the two below vanished.

“Since it’s Xu Xiaoshou, they won’t find anything. The traces have already been erased—this was at least a half-saint’s doing; he has backers.” Ai Cang Sheng saw Dao Qiong Cang’s gaze and shared his insight.

“Yes, the location is Chang Le Street; of course, they won’t find anything.”

“Then why send them?”

“As long as there’s nothing, that means there is something.” Dao Qiong Cang smiled. “Besides, Chang Le Street has You Gui Ge.”

You Gui Ge?

Yu Zhi Wen noted the name silently.

Liu Fu Yu traced that faint breath, nearly drowned in the sea of mortal woes, and arrived at this ancient pavilion.

She stopped, looked up, and saw the signboard: “You Gui Ge.”

The door was empty, and a hole in the wall was being repaired.

The breath ended here.

The abnormality in spatial fluctuations was imperceptible to outsiders, but Liu Fu Yu, gripping the sword at her waist, sensed something.

She stepped forward to enter.

“Miss, we’re not receiving guests today. There’s been an issue in the pavilion; we’re fixing it up.” A beautiful woman stepped out promptly, eyeing the familiar swordswoman attire of Liu Fu Yu with curiosity.

Their pavilion had such tastes,

But few wore it out in public—or perhaps they still felt shame.

“You...” Liu Fu Yu glanced once and turned her head, her cheeks flushing slightly. “Your clothing is disheveled.”

The beauty looked down and saw the large expanse of snow-white on her chest, covering her mouth with a laugh.

She could tell this swordswoman was in the wrong place, not one of their own.

“Miss, everyone here is like this.”

“I want to go in.”

“Tomorrow, perhaps? We really have matters today.” The beauty gestured to the hole in the wall.

“Tomorrow...” Liu Fu Yu detected sword intent from the wall and nodded slightly. “Very well.”

You Gui Ge fell quiet soon after.

The beauty watched the graceful swordswoman finish speaking and stand there, sword in hand, staring blankly at something unknown.

She was puzzled: “Miss, aren’t you going home?”

“Waiting.”

“For what?”

“Tomorrow.”

“...Waiting here?!”

“Yes.”

What an extraordinary woman!

The beauty marveled but couldn’t rudely ask her to leave, so she turned back into the pavilion, intending to consult Xiang Yi.

On the third floor of You Gui Ge,

The teacup in Xiang Yao Yao’s hand vanished suddenly.

She tensed and turned, sensing a massive spatial fluctuation in the opposite private room.

In an instant, the fluctuation disappeared, as if erased.

What’s going on?

What on earth is Xu Xiaoshou up to?

Such a big disturbance—does he want to die? If Dao Qiong Cang notices...

Her thoughts froze as she stared at the figure that had appeared in the room, her pupils contracting, her beautiful face flashing with horror.

“Friend, no need to be anxious. I’m just passing through.”

The scholar saw the window-side beauty react as if seeing a demon and was slightly surprised. His face wasn’t that terrifying, was it?

He had only sensed the Shi Zu Ying Zhang’s power, taken a detour to check, and wiped away the traces for Xu Xiaoshou.

Why was she so shocked?

Does she know me?

Before he could ask, the black-skirted woman didn’t hesitate, summoning her spiritual energy and slamming it onto the windowsill.

“Summoning technique!”

(End of chapter)