Chapter 1395: A Few Words from the Holy Emperor Seal the Gate, Hungry Ghost Path Fist Reaches the Nine Serenities

"Friend, you seem quite anxious."

With the Shi Zu Ying Zhang in hand and the Time Dao Disk underfoot, Xu Xiaoshou channeled the power of Tian Zu and Long Zu into it, stimulating the staff and swallowing the feedback of Shi Zu's power in one go.

In that moment, Xu Xiaoshou felt as though he had become the Shi Zu, the master of time itself.

The power that erupted in an instant made the entire world tremble.

Nearly all the time in the Si Xiang Mi Jing was halted by him in a single move, including the Sheng Di intent avatar of Bei Huai.

Yes, Xu Xiaoshou was late.

He had never anticipated that the two divine soul hands Bei Huai used to imprison the Xing Jie were not aimed at the Greed God, but at him!

Just as he was sending the Greed God out of the Xing Jie and preparing to leave himself, the divine soul hands within the Xing Jie suddenly transformed into divine soul chains, sealing off any path from the Xing Jie to the Si Xiang Mi Jing.

Xu Xiaoshou tried to force his way out using the will of the Xing Jie master. But the Sheng Di's power was too overwhelming; he could only teleport his physical body, while his divine soul would be exiled and imprisoned in the Xing Jie.

However, with the Ling Dao Disk in his possession, Xu Xiaoshou refused to give up. He rewound Bei Huai's endless chatter and, through his own divine soul fluctuations, traced the Xing Jie's position in the spacetime fragments.

Relying on the ultimate insight from Tian Ren He Yi in the divine soul path, Xu Xiaoshou imitated the technique. He activated the Shen Min Moment, amplifying his "perception" infinitely. But instead of trying to go from the Xing Jie to the Si Xiang Mi Jing, he extended his intent into the spacetime fragments.

This was a bold attempt! He was replicating the superhuman realm-finding technique of Sheng Di Bei Huai. But Xu Xiaoshou didn't know the exact process; he had to rely on Tian Ren He Yi and his own extraordinary insight into the divine soul path to explore.

In the chaotic spacetime fragments, Xu Xiaoshou first used the Xing Jie's coordinates as a base, then extended his perception in all directions, searching for the familiar, boiling divine soul fluctuations of the Greed God under Bei Huai's pressure.

Spacetime fragments could connect to various places in the Five Domains, disordered and random. If he found it, he could rush to rescue in time and prevent the Greed God from suffering alone. If not, it meant this only way out was blocked; by the time he arrived, the Greed God might be dead or captured.

The "Shen Min Moment" was incredibly powerful; in just a few breaths, Xu Xiaoshou sensed the familiar, boiling divine soul fluctuations. But they didn't come from the Greed God... they came from Yu Zhiwen!

Her emotions were boiling, like a volcano erupting. Amid the dim and murky divine souls, she was like the brightest star in the night sky—a guiding light! Xu Xiaoshou finally understood why Bei Huai had found the Xing Jie so easily; such unmasked divine soul fluctuations were too obvious.

Using this method, he locked onto the Si Xiang Mi Jing's position through Yu Zhiwen. But the distance was too great! The spatial node of the Si Xiang Mi Jing in the spacetime fragments was also disordered and random, not near the Xing Jie.

Xu Xiaoshou couldn't wait any longer. He broke out of the Xing Jie and took a roundabout route through the spacetime fragments to the Sheng Shen Continent, landing in a desolate, forgotten wasteland. He madly ascended step by step and teleported through space.

After several turns, he finally flashed back to the position of the Si Xiang Mi Jing near Gong Yang Mountain. Upon entering, the first thing he saw was Yu Zhiwen being blasted away by Bei Huai's divine soul hand. The reason was unclear for now...

Xu Xiaoshou immediately activated Yi Shi Du Li and flashed to Xiao Yu's side, wanting to help by using Da Ku Duo Yi to devour the residual divine soul power on her. But he realized he was unnecessary.

The Shou Sheng Hui appeared, protecting Yu Zhiwen's last breath. And on the horizon, others were acting just as he was: A Ban Sheng intent avatar hadn't fully formed before being shattered by Bei Huai's words. That Kun Peng fish fin struck someone but was cut off from its connection between body and divine soul by Bei Huai.

In this brief clash, Bei Huai's Sheng Di intent avatar repelled two Ban Sheng! Moreover, the situation on site was absurd—people from the Sheng Shen Dian Tang were fighting each other?

Xu Xiaoshou didn't know what to think. His intuition told him the root of all this came from Yu Zhiwen's boiling divine soul fluctuations.

The one trying to manifest a Ban Sheng intent avatar with Tian Ji Shu was Dao Xuan Ji... The Kun Peng fin was undoubtedly from Yu Kun Peng... They were all here to protect Yu Zhiwen. Bei Huai, as a dignified Sheng Di, wouldn't attack such a minor figure without reason. Yu Zhiwen must have done something!

Xu Xiaoshou didn't speculate; he randomly selected a lucky red-clothed individual nearby and performed soul reading. After instantly viewing everything that happened in his absence, he fell completely silent.

The Greed God's enemy was Bei Huai. But the Greed God's protector was Yu Zhiwen! Where did she get the courage—to face someone she might not even beat in a direct fight against an ordinary Wang Zuo Dao Jing, yet dare to confront Sheng Di Bei Huai head-on?

Xu Xiaoshou was furious, almost impulsively pulling Xiao Yu into the Xing Jie. He held back. Now wasn't the time for that.

Facing the Ten Zun Seat Sheng Di Bei Huai, Xu Xiaoshou knew the best response was to avoid it altogether. But with Yu Zhiwen's three soul questions echoing in his mind, how could anyone retreat?

Someone had to dare to defy the heavens to carve a new path in this corrupt world order!

Xu Xiaoshou deactivated Yi Shi Du Li, stepped onto the Time Dao Disk, and stimulated the Shi Zu Ying Zhang again. His emotions were complex. His thoughts were irrational. His feelings were filled with resentment, anger, and the most intense defiance!

But when he froze the entire Si Xiang Mi Jing with one move and landed in front of Bei Huai under everyone's gaze, he suppressed his surging, boiling divine soul fluctuations, his eyes icy cold, a mocking smile on his lips, and scoffed disdainfully:

"Friend, you seem quite anxious."

"What could make a lofty Sheng Di like you stoop to attacking a defenseless weak woman?"

"Is it because she hit your sore spot, exposed your scars, and ripped away the fig leaf of 'all ghost beasts are evil,' pulling you down from your high moral pedestal?"

"So you can deceive yourself into thinking, 'Oh, I spared her once, so this isn't about bullying the weak—now she's offended me, so I have to kill her'... Is that it?"

Xu Xiaoshou spoke freely in the frozen time. He set down the staff, took a deep breath, and then unleashed words like a fierce sword, releasing the time freeze so everyone could hear his furious rebuke:

"Sheng Di Bei Huai, can you get any more shameless?!"

This voice, laden with full Sheng force, spread to all spectators just as Bei Huai's earlier words had condemned Yu Zhiwen. It echoed through the entire Si Xiang Mi Jing, reaching every trial participant and official, making their scalps tingle.

"Xu Xiaoshou?"

"Xu Xiaoshou is here—what's he doing, insulting the Sheng Di?"

"Heavens, has he lost his mind? Slaying a Sheng wasn't enough for him at Yun Lun Mountain; now he wants to... slay a Sheng Di?"

Some were shocked by Xu Xiaoshou's boldness in facing the Sheng Di. Others noticed the issue mentioned again.

"Ghost beasts?"

"Did you hear that? Lord Xu said ghost beasts aren't all bad."

"Impossible—standing with the Sheng Shen Dian Tang, aren't ghost beasts just evil? Why else have the red-clothed?"

"But this isn't just Xu Xiaoshou's view—the Sheng Shen Dian Tang's own Yu Zhiwen said it too. What do we do?"

"Uh... what's really going on here?"

"I have no idea, but I'm blindly loyal to Yu Zhiwen—I'm her dog through and through!"

The collapsing sky, shattered space, and boiling murmurs... Against this dark and chaotic backdrop, the figure holding the Shi Zu Ying Zhang and standing on the Time Dao Disk shone like the sun.

Yu Zhiwen lay on the rocks, unable to rise. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she gazed at the familiar figure standing up for her, clenching her fists tightly.

"That's it!"

"That's exactly what I wanted to say..."

Sometimes, Yu Zhiwen hated her own clumsiness with words. If she had Xu Xiaoshou's tongue, even in death, she could clearly express all her resentment and defiance before the Sheng Di and the world.

But it didn't matter anymore... In that moment, watching the figure in the sky, Yu Zhiwen felt all her pent-up grievances were finally vented. Even her divine soul fluctuations stabilized.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Xu Xiaoshou was here, and he would be her perfect voice.

But... Facing Bei Huai, did he really step forward because he had some leverage? It couldn't just be impulsiveness, could it?

"Empty hatred?"

On the opposite side of the sky, Bei Huai's dao heart wouldn't waver from mere words. History is written by the victors. In the face of absolute power, all criticism is temporary and will be forgotten. In the great dao struggle, there's no avoiding bloodshed. Future generations will judge Bei Huai's path, but that's beyond the reach of ants like these.

Bei Huai merely hesitated, gazing at the Shi Zu Ying Zhang in Xu Xiaoshou's hand and the brilliant time mystic array.

"You're not Empty Hatred."

He stared back at Xu Xiaoshou's face and shook his head slightly. "This time mystic—Empty Hatred couldn't have cultivated it, not even a flawed version."

Bei Huai was curious about how Xu Xiaoshou had escaped the small world so quickly. And why, after being saved, he willingly returned to danger.

But as the Greed God leaped back onto Xu Xiaoshou's head, Bei Huai said no more, simply releasing a trace of his own power, liberating the Sheng Di force. If they sought death, he'd grant it—no need for words.

"Woo..."

"Wah!"

Suddenly, in the Si Xiang Mi Jing, everyone's thoughts shattered; they couldn't form coherent thinking, only regrets and tears, sinking together in an ocean of emotions.

"Sorry..."

"I'm sorry..."

"Woo woo woo, I... I shouldn't have..."

In the sky, Xu Xiaoshou had just caught the Greed God when tears burst from his eyes, his nose running. He couldn't break down crying and confessing all his secrets in front of everyone. He immediately switched back to the method he used in the shattered world—alternating consciousness, letting the one in the Ran Ming ruins cry it out while he calmly faced Bei Huai.

"Exile!"

After the time power, the mystic array under Xu Xiaoshou's feet changed to the Space Dao Disk. He didn't dare waste half a moment. Against a Ten Zun Seat Sheng Di, if he couldn't take him down in one move, he'd be beaten mercilessly next.

"Boom!"

The thing Xu Xiaoshou once feared most—the power of space exile—was unhesitatingly applied to Bei Huai. The space, dao principles, and elements around Bei Huai shattered in an instant. His divine soul body was in the Si Xiang Mi Jing but also exiled outside this small world, like being in two realms at once.

"Heh."

But Bei Huai laughed! A pure, mocking laugh! He saw through Xu Xiaoshou's intent—to prevent him from escaping.

But... was this serious? He had never thought of retreating, even against another Sheng Di. A mere Xu Xiaoshou, who gained the first strike with time freeze, used "Exile"?

What was the point? Did he think he had another move to shatter the exiled Sheng Di intent avatar?

"You're joking?"

Bei Huai's divine soul body lightly raised a hand. At the peak of the exile space, another massive divine soul hand condensed. It was so large that just appearing nearly overloaded Xu Xiaoshou's power, threatening to burst the entire exile space.

But Xu Xiaoshou wouldn't tolerate it.

"Time, freeze!"

He raised the Shi Zu Ying Zhang high again. The gears of time stopped turning, and even Bei Huai's movements stalled.

"Scratching an itch?"

His thoughts didn't stop, and irritation welled up. A weak ant, borrowing powers not his own, buzzing like an unkillable mosquito. Anyone would hate it! Perfect control meant nothing without damage—what was the use? Was this person back just to tickle him to death and annoy the Sheng Di?

"Break..."

Bei Huai's divine soul body hadn't fully spoken. After the time freeze broke, Xu Xiaoshou's eyes sharpened:

"Heart Sword Technique, All Before My Eyes Are Demons!"

This old trick, Bei Huai countered with an old method. But Xu Xiaoshou didn't stop controlling; ghostly light flashed in his eyes again:

"Soul Reading!"

Bei Huai's divine soul body shuddered. Xu Xiaoshou didn't dare read him; he just used control and annoyance with zero damage, then quickly stopped. He looked up again.

"Soul Reading!"

From Bei Huai's mouth came a small divine soul body, taking the control. His irritation surged!

"You're so annoying..."

But before "annoying" was out, Xu Xiaoshou repeated the trick:

"Soul Reading!"

Another small divine soul body emerged from Bei Huai, blocking the control but cutting off his words.

"Cursed, passive value, 1."

Xu Xiaoshou's feet switched to the Ling Dao Disk. In that moment, he clearly saw the previously unmoving divine soul of Bei Huai enveloped in a faint azure mist, like steam from boiling water.

He smiled. Then he composed his expression, adopting a cold gaze and a calm tone, slowly and steadily saying:

"Your divine soul is boiling."

"Boom!"

The Si Xiang Mi Jing shook violently. The world seemed on the verge of collapse. All the refiners sunk in the emotional sea suddenly broke free.

Tearfully looking up, they saw near the Zhu Que Gold Tower a massive, visible divine soul body materializing, towering like a giant.

Bei Huai was furious! The Sheng Di intent avatar retracted all its power, solidifying into something visible to mortals—just to shatter Xu Xiaoshou's annoying control tricks with absolute force.

"Break!"

This time, Bei Huai manifested the divine soul hand and thrust it forcefully. But Xu Xiaoshou voluntarily lifted the space exile, making Bei Huai's strike land like a punch on cotton, full of frustration.

"Friend, you seem quite anxious."

"Insect, have you finally given up struggling?!"

Bei Huai's angry voice echoed everywhere. Without a doubt, Xu Xiaoshou, who had lost his restraining power, couldn't withstand even one Sheng Di strike. The only option left was to flee.

"No, I'm just closing the door," Xu Xiaoshou said with a smile.

"Closing the door?"

Bei Huai almost laughed in anger. That crude exile technique, he could break it casually.

"Since you want to close the door, I'll show you what true 'closing the door' means—one where even the divine soul has no escape!"

"Detention Realm!"

Bei Huai's divine soul body raised both hands. Outside the Si Xiang Mi Jing, thick divine soul chains manifested, sealing this small world completely, just as with the Xing Jie.

Xu Xiaoshou couldn't run! He couldn't take the Greed God either! Dao Qiong Cang had said the Eight Zun An wouldn't risk entering to save him, so from the beginning, everything was under Bei Huai's control—Xu Xiaoshou was trapped.

Bei Huai knew this. The only thing he didn't understand was why, even now, Xu Xiaoshou was still smiling, as if he held the winning hand. And the mystic array under his feet had changed again to the divine soul path, staring intently at him.

"What are you smiling at?" As he asked, Bei Huai regretted it—he shouldn't have started the conversation.

Xu Xiaoshou shrugged, manifesting a golden throne in the void. He sat down, even crossing his legs, lounging back on the throne as if relaxing before death. One hand petted the cat, the other pulled out an ice eggplant formed from Three Days Frozen Calamity, lighting it with Jin Zhao Bai Yan in a "puff" before flicking it out—nearly hitting Bei Huai's divine soul body's nose.

"I'm smiling because the great Sheng Di is helping me, Xu Xiaoshou, close the door," Xu Xiaoshou said with a nasal twang.

Bei Huai's eyelid twitched; he was completely baffled by this person. Was this some deathbed bravado or mental victory?

"Close the door for what?"

Xu Xiaoshou heard this and just smiled without answering. He really wanted to say it, but this was enough—and at least it wouldn't lead to repercussions later.

Bei Huai watched the young man acting to the extreme, hands crossed on the throne's armrests, ignoring him completely, eyes closed as if dozing off against the backrest.

He was truly angry. Back in the Ten Zun Seat, even the Eight Zun An didn't act like this! Waiting for death with such flair—you're the first; I'll indulge you!

"Divine Soul Hand."

Bei Huai struck with a palm, slamming toward Xu Xiaoshou, who had given up all resistance and seemed ready to shine one last time on the throne.

"Bang..."

A strange sound came from the distant northwest. It was faint, but in this silent, watched battle, it was jarring.

"Bang bang bang..."

As the divine soul hand hurtled toward Xu Xiaoshou, people couldn't help but turn to see what caused the sonic boom.

"Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang..."

The booms approached quickly, from far to near, in an instant reaching the battlefield. On the throne, Xu Xiaoshou, who had been closing his eyes and silently counting time, could no longer sit still.

Even if it meant repercussions later, even if it led to consequences, today, he would go all out and give this damned Bei Huai a head-on smash!

Xu Xiaoshou leaped from the throne and, as the divine soul hand approached, didn't even bother to block. He stared fixedly at Sheng Di Bei Huai and, in a very faint tone, pursed his lips and shook his head:

"You won't understand..."

"Closing the door—to release the god as well!"

The world fell completely silent in that moment. Xu Xiaoshou's voice was soft, like a murmur, yet loud, aided by Sheng force, reaching Bei Huai's ears. Even the refiners below watching the battle caught snippets.

Suddenly!

A savage figure charged in from the side of the throne, boldly plunging into the massive divine soul hand.

Yes! Right into it! Unstoppable, indestructible!

Under everyone's shocked gaze, the savage figure pierced through the thick palm of the divine soul hand, destroying everything in an instant, and burst out from the back.

"Boom!"

A strange, massive explosion echoed in everyone's divine soul world, causing ear-ringing and dizziness. But when they strained to look, they saw the blurred, incredibly fast, towering figure not only shattering the divine soul hand but also charging straight toward Bei Huai's divine soul body.

"This is..."

Even Bei Huai's divine soul body widened its pupils, recognizing the intruder. His attention had been entirely on Xu Xiaoshou... This person had hidden his presence perfectly from stealth to appearance... Not a coincidence! This was coordination!

These two were pulling off an unspoken, perfect teamwork—he hid, and you drew attention.

"Shen Yi?!"

In that instant, Bei Huai's divine soul body's fluctuations boiled over. His emotions erupted like a volcano, his face full of disbelief. The Shen Yi trapped at the crossroads had appeared here? Had Ai Cang Sheng's eyes been blinded by Dao Qiong Cang?

"Shen Yi?"

"What Shen Yi?"

"Pah! What else could it be—the one and only Shen Yi, the 'Ghost Gate God' Shen Yi!"

The watching trial participants erupted, shouting in excitement. What a scene! A Ten Zun Seat battle?

Shen Yi was too fast! So fast his body outpaced his voice! It wasn't until he appeared from outside the battlefield and instantly reached Bei Huai's divine soul body...

With a boom, the heavens and earth shook. Yin soul ghost energy spilled from everywhere, forming a massive, eerie Ghost Gate filled with cold, strangeness, antiquity, and weight.

It connected heaven above and the nine underworlds below. Reversing yin and yang, flipping spirit and flesh. The tiny human Shen Yi entered the ancient, cold gate—his form like dust compared to the mountain-like Ghost Gate, incomparable. The vicious hungry ghost emerged from the other side of hell's gate—Shen Yi had transformed into a blue-faced, fanged divine soul body, massive as if it had devoured all of hell's souls, its palm capable of shrouding the sky.

Only then!

The roar that had begun at the Bai Hu Pulse and instantly reached them finally arrived, following Shen Yi's shadow. Like thunder, it exploded deep in everyone's souls.

"Hungry! Ghost! Path!"

One punch! The vicious, hideous hungry ghost delivered a overhead punch!

Bei Huai's equally massive divine soul body's head jerked. In the tremendous boom, he had no time to defend; his entire divine soul body was blasted away by this surprise strike, shattering all over, and embedded in the divine soul gate outside the Si Xiang Mi Jing that he had personally sealed for himself.

The battle sounds echoed late but spread everywhere:

"Netherworld's Fury, Fist of the Nine Underworlds!"

(The end of this chapter)