Chapter 1391: Binding the Divine Soul in the Ghost Beast Path, the Hidden Snake as if Probing the True Chapter

Chapter 1375: Setting the Divine Soul in Place, Returning the Beast, Yin Snake Ruo Tan Jian Zhen Zhang

"What is he even talking about?"

"It's me, myself? And he mentioned experimental products, substitutes, even linking it to the Xu Yue Hui Gong and something related to ghost beasts?"

"And in the end, he connected it to Dao Qiong Cang?"

Xu Xiaoshou wracked his brain, but he couldn't make heads or tails of Bei Huai's words, their purpose, or their meaning.

The only thing he could grasp, or rather, the only thing that was clear, was "Dao Qiong Cang"!

The moment Bei Huai's time reversal revealed Dao Qiong Cang, Xu Xiaoshou knew something was wrong.

Sure enough, it was the worst-case scenario—everything was being manipulated from behind the scenes by that flashy old Daoist!

From the beginning, Shengdi Qilin could never have been cooperating with the Sheng Nu or the Tian Shang First Building.

Having been in the Si Xiang Mi Jing for so many years, Dao Qiong Cang or Bei Huai had likely discovered it long ago, and probably bypassed or even collaborated with the Sheng Gong—it didn't matter anymore.

What mattered was that Shengdi Qilin had already been taken down by them!

The Sheng Nu was short on people.

So, with even a sliver of hope in mind, upon learning of Shengdi Qilin's situation, they would definitely make time to reach out.

This scheme wasn't even much of a conspiracy; it was more like Jiang Ziya fishing, luring those who were willing to bite.

If no one took the bait in the end, the Sheng Shen Hall wouldn't suffer any loss—the Sheng Gong could simply continue draining the Qilin's power.

Thus, they weren't in a hurry.

But the Sheng Nu was, so they weren't thinking clearly.

And when it came to the Shengdi level, it wasn't like those ghost beasts in the inner islands of the Void Island—Ba Zun An had interacted with many of them.

A lot of details related to this matter were overlooked in everyone's minds.

Add to that Dao Qiong Cang compressing the time for the Sheng Gong trial, which was fatal. Xu Xiaoshou's step-by-step plan didn't succeed:

He had intended to test things out roughly in advance, leaving the main event for the Ran Ming ruins ten days later.

In that preliminary action, his true self didn't even need to show up—he could just send Jin Ren to probe Shengdi Qilin's weaknesses. If they died, so be it—Xu Xiaoshou had already weighed the pros and cons.

Now, however, he was forced to combine the two tests into one—the time gap between the Ran Ming ruins and Shengdi Qilin had been mercilessly erased, merging the two together. Xu Xiaoshou was stretched too thin and had to go all in with his true self.

The rhythm was completely disrupted.

Once the rhythm was disrupted, his thinking became even more limited.

The more he wanted to get results quickly, the easier it was to fall for Dao Qiong Cang's not-so-clever hook and line.

"Despicable thief!"

Xu Xiaoshou was both shocked and furious.

The early opening of the Ran Ming ruins hadn't seemed suspicious at the time, but now, thinking back, Dao Qiong Cang was nothing short of a treacherous villain, a rebel, a wicked schemer!

As for the content in Bei Huai's words...

At first, Xu Xiaoshou genuinely thought it was about himself, but the more he heard, the less it seemed to fit.

Moreover, Bei Huai had said right from the start that he wasn't here for him.

"Could there be some parallel space-time with an existence similar to me that Bei Huai has targeted?"

"What he called 'walking into the trap' isn't about me, but..."

Xu Xiaoshou's flicker of hope didn't last long before he arrived at a chilling conclusion.

It wasn't him.

But it could be something on him, some object, or... some entity!

If "it" had been with him from early on, it could have experienced Bai Ku, Dong Tian Wang City, Yun Lun Mountains, and even Void Island.

And it had ties to the Xu Yue Hui Gong...

"Meow?"

In the Xing Jie, Tan Shen lazily crossed its front paws on the edge of an ancient dan ding and glanced up at the sky with a blank, adorable mew.

The sky of the Xing Jie suddenly trembled...

This wasn't anything unusual.

The world here had even undergone evolution, changing day by day, so occasional tremors were normal.

Tan Shen's gaze quickly returned to its new dan ding.

The old hundred thousand dan dings had been destroyed during Xu Xiaoshou's experiments after Xing Jie's transformation.

These current ones were from Long Xing's reserves, given to Tan Shen for play.

After staying in the Xing Jie for so long, Long Xing had grown fond of this alchemy cat.

When it discovered Tan Shen's toys had been ruined by Xu Xiaoshou and that it was left alone, feeling wronged but not daring to complain, Long Xing gave the little Tan Shen plenty of new things.

Not just dan dings—Long Xing's collection spanned from ancient times to now.

Anything with a groove, like weapons or shields, it would pull out for Tan Shen to use in alchemy.

This was one of the few signs of life in the Xing Jie besides the cattle, sheep, and vegetation, and it had become a bright spot that Long Xing's spirit had grown accustomed to.

Today, as the world tree Long Xing, it sensed an unknown terror about to descend!

"Xu Xiaoshou, a Shengdi is searching for the Xing Jie, trying to invade."

Long Xing's spirit didn't hesitate to transmit this will to Xu Xiaoshou, the master of the Xing Jie.

If it were a Bansheng, it wouldn't care.

Xu Xiaoshou wouldn't even need to act—Long Xing's spirit could handle it alone.

But a Shengdi was different.

Shengdi came in many forms; if it were a high-level one involving ancestral source power, or even stronger...

When it came down to it, Long Xing's spirit was among the least combat-oriented of its level—for instance, it never wanted to fight the blood tree.

It was just a world tree now.

The world it had to protect, if the enemy was too strong, required its master to join forces and share the burden.

"Tan Shen!"

When the thought from Long Xing's spirit reached him, Xu Xiaoshou felt a chill run down his spine and finally understood Bei Huai's target.

The sacred beast of the Xu Yue Hui Gong, the Xing Jie's alchemy cat—Tan Shen!

"Bei Huai's experimental product, substitute..."

"He's experimenting with ghost beasts? Of course—the Sheng Shen Hall's red clothes capture so many ghost beasts every year; they can't possibly kill them all."

"Back in Bai Ku, Ba Zun An said he hoped to gain the power of ghost beasts, and the Sheng Shen Hall craves that power too."

"If it's Shengdi Bei Huai conducting the research—then the mastermind behind the 'red clothes' organization is clear."

"Bei Huai has the qualifications for that!"

In that moment, Xu Xiaoshou had an epiphany, and all his thoughts connected.

But sometimes, being too clever and knowing too much wasn't necessarily a good thing.

Through his "perception," gazing at the tiny human Bei Huai beneath the two massive beasts was like seeing the hidden hand weaving the illusionary world beyond the Textile Realm—chilling to the bone, as if plunged into an ice cellar.

"Shengdi has demands, so they created a weapon called 'red clothes.'"

"'Red clothes' needs to exist for justice, so they invented 'ghost beasts'—born to slay evil."

"'Ghost beasts' come in two kinds: one is beasts born in other dimensions, whether good or evil; the other is people like Feng Yu Jing, forcibly labeled as 'ghost beasts,' regardless of right or wrong."

"But if red clothes knew too much, their swords would hesitate, so they created people like Shou Ye, who blindly believe 'all ghost beasts are evil,' allowing them to strike with the utmost ruthlessness and decisiveness."

"If the public knew about ghost beasts and learned more, the chances of uncovering secrets would increase, so they made 'ghost beast' a forbidden term in the five domains, with everyone keeping silent about it."

"Even someone like Liu Changqing, who walks the Dao path, only started desperately seeking ghost beast secrets after being parasitized by Xuan Wuji, as if from birth to death, they had no curiosity about 'ghost beasts' at all..."

"Of course—when it involves Shengdi and their guiding, forgetful power, who would randomly develop an interest in 'ghost beasts'?"

The more Xu Xiaoshou thought, the more horrified he became. The more he looked at Bei Huai, the more he saw him as the true great terror of the world!

From his first encounter with the red clothes Shou Ye in the Tian Sang City Lord's Manor, to walking this path and aligning with ghost beasts against the Sheng Shen Hall...

All the secrets and discoveries related to ghost beasts merged in that moment, piecing together a still-incomplete but vivid picture, giving him the sensation that his mind was about to explode.

Everything pointed to Bei Huai.

And before this, Xu Xiaoshou's only knowledge of Bei Huai was the line "Bei Huai Wu Lei Tian Yi Shang."

Just that one line!

Nothing more!

This mastermind had hidden so deeply, only surfacing now—like a ghost even more elusive than a water ghost!

"Bei Huai is after Tan Shen—what's his goal?"

With his thoughts reaching this point, Xu Xiaoshou didn't need to think further to get the answer.

The Sheng Shen Hall's research...

Or more directly, Bei Huai's secret research on ghost beasts and their power had undoubtedly succeeded!

Xu Xiaoshou had an excellent memory.

He immediately recalled the red clothes Shou Ye he had encountered before.

That Dao-chopping, dark-attribute Shou Ye had once unleashed an incredibly bizarre power—Taixu Force, the Hao Ran Zheng Qi!

Back then, it was just surprising.

But after the shock, Xu Xiaoshou had let it go.

The five domains were full of talents, even including those who had comprehended Thorough Divine Thought.

So, what was so shocking about a Dao-chopping Shou Ye comprehending the polar opposite Hao Ran Zheng Qi Taixu Force?

But now, thinking back, he should have dug deeper back then!

The path of a spirit refiner, above Shengdi...

Wasn't clearly defined, each had their own way, but below Bansheng, it was fixed.

How could someone who had chopped their Dao comprehend Taixu Force?

That must be one of Bei Huai's researches—granting lower-realm beings the power of higher realms!

"Shou Ye wears red clothes and believes 'all ghost beasts are evil,' yet wields the power of ghost beasts without even knowing it?"

Xu Xiaoshou's hair stood on end; he felt the world was absurd!

He'd rather admit his speculation was wrong than imagine how the respectable Shou Ye predecessor would collapse if he discovered the truth!

But it didn't stop there...

Xu Xiaoshou also thought of the ghost beast power that erupted from the red clothes Lu Ke in the final moments during the Dao Pattern Origin Stone struggle in Bai Ku.

"Is Shou Ye one of Bei Huai's 'experimental products'?"

"Is the red clothes Lu Ke, Gou Wu Yue's disciple, also one of the 'experimental products'?"

At this point, Xu Xiaoshou was completely numb.

He forcibly steered his scattered, shocking thoughts back to Tan Shen.

Humans were carriers inheriting Bei Huai's research results.

So, what would ghost beasts experience in this process, and what would they ultimately become?

"Tan Shen is the 'it' he mentioned?"

"What does Bei Huai ultimately want from Tan Shen?"

After the dark clouds lifted, his thoughts cleared quickly.

Setting aside the Three Yan Pupils and Three Tribulations Eyes that even Bei Huai probably didn't know about, Tan Shen itself possessed a powerful ability:

Devouring power!

A devouring body!

Undoubtedly, compared to the Tear Family Pupils, Bei Huai valued the "devouring" power more!

Of course...

Thinking about it now, Tan Shen's ability to perfectly integrate the two Tear Family Pupils and activate their power without any adaptation process was the ultimate manifestation!

"If I were Bei Huai, I'd be tempted too..."

The person involved was confused, but the observer was clear.

Stepping back, Xu Xiaoshou realized that using Tan Shen just for alchemy and letting it handle odd jobs like 007 was a complete waste!

"And even so, 'Tan Shen' is just a 'substitute.'"

"Then, what was that important 'experimental product' that was lost? Also related to 'devouring' power?"

A flash of orange crossed Xu Xiaoshou's mind, and his thoughts struck like thunder in a rainy sky, suddenly terrifying.

He began to doubt if he was overthinking.

But at that moment in Sin One Hall, during the battle with Number Two, that voice from the Tianji Divine Envoy echoed in his mind again:

"Devouring body, triggering the second guardian rule, Tianji Divine Envoy, requesting to lift the restrictions..."

Everything was traceable!

With his thoughts reaching this point, Xu Xiaoshou broke out in goosebumps all over.

Of course—back in Sin One Hall, in the midst of battle, the Tianji Divine Envoy suddenly went all out. Was it just because the enemy was too strong?

Not just that!

More likely, in the Tianji Divine Envoy's database, this "devouring body" power that even Bei Huai coveted was so terrifying that it had to be fully sealed upon appearance!

"Why didn't I notice before..."

Some people could integrate not just the Tear Family Pupils; they were absurd enough to integrate the Five Great Absolute Bodies!

Even if those absolute bodies weren't fully formed, he would break them and rebuild them, then devour her!

What Bei Huai lost—was it the Tianren Five Decays?

"And what about Tan Shen?"

"If Tan Shen falls into Bei Huai's hands, can it survive?"

Xu Xiaoshou's thoughts were exhausted, and thousands of ideas ultimately boiled down to one dreadful imagination:

Bei Huai, a Shengdi-level Tianren Five Decays?

"Your divine soul is boiling."

Bei Huai, barefoot in white robes, had his face obscured in the haze.

His words were incredibly faint, but when he spoke again, they carried the icy chill of the Nine Nether Hell.

"Found it..."

He didn't care what Xu Xiaoshou had learned or was thinking from his words.

The process didn't matter; only the result did:

A boiling divine soul left nowhere to hide, and everything connected to that divine soul, including the world, left traces to trace.

The path of the divine soul—many in the Sheng Shen Continent's five domains cultivated it, but few specialized in it.

And to seal it as a Shengdi, there was only one: Bei Huai.

Naturally, besides Bei Huai, almost no one knew:

All existence was bound by the divine soul.

Trace the leaves back to the roots—it could find anything.

"So, this is your world?"

Bei Huai slowly extended his hand toward the crying Qilin and giant in front, gently clenching it.

Boom!

The Xing Jie shook violently.

The world tree Long Xing could no longer hide itself, buzzing as it lit up.

Long Xing's spirit merged back into its body, and the ancestral tree transformed into embedded golden patterns of rules, blooming with protective power outside this world.

If someone had entered the space-time fragments at that moment, they might have had a slim chance to see this scene:

In the darkness, a you qing se divine soul hand spread wide, reaching down to seize a world.

This nascent world was as weak as a swaddled infant, but luckily, the infant harbored supreme power within.

The ancestral tree Long Xing suddenly appeared, its canopy flourishing as golden light scattered everywhere, holding back the you qing se divine soul hand's grasp.

In the shattered space-time fragments, silent yet violent forces splashed wildly, affecting countless space nodes.

The Xing Jie wasn't on Xu Xiaoshou's body but in any node of the Sheng Shen Continent's space-time fragments.

Bei Huai's strike wasn't aimed at the node of the broken world under the Zhuque Golden Tower—it could be any black hole from a shattered space in the five domains.

Naturally, when the ancestral tree Long Xing's power and Bei Huai's divine soul hand engaged in a tug-of-war, the wildly splashing energy affected not just the Si Xiang Mi Jing.

But the entire Sheng Shen Continent!

Boom, boom, boom, boom...

Across the five domains—perhaps in mountains, rivers, cities, or suburbs—roaring explosions erupted everywhere.

Any area whose space node bordered the current Xing Jie was inevitably affected by the forces in the space-time fragments.

Disasters struck various places, with strange lights descending.

Some saw you qing se, others witnessed golden spots; some were hit by storms, others torn to dust by energy...

Disasters from the shattered spaces randomly befell any unfortunate soul.

In just a brief instant, the Sheng Shen Hall in the five domains received reports of no less than ten thousand disaster anomalies. They were random and chaotic, leaving everyone baffled.

"Xu Xiaoshou!!!"

Long Xing's spirit let out an exhausted, roaring will.

It could only utter a name, unable to spare the focus for more.

But as the master of the world, how could Xu Xiaoshou not know that the Xing Jie was facing a catastrophe?

Seizing this crisis...

Jin Ren was still hanging on Shengdi Qilin, crying pathetically without any dignity...

"Cry, cry, cry—all you do is cry all day! Crying won't help a damn thing!" Xu Xiaoshou could hide no longer. As he cursed Jin Ren in anger, he sharply shifted his will back.