Chapter 1404: The Sinking World's Soil Seals White Bones; The Dao-Interval Person Reaches the Extreme Limit

"Bei Huai..."

"Let me, Xu Xiaoshou, see..."

"How much is the current Saint Emperor truly worth..."

The arrogant voice resonated grandly, spreading across half of the Qilin Realm.

Countless refiners, who were watching the battle over Gong Yang Mountain and trembling in fear under the Senluo Domain, were startled by the sound and looked up in astonishment, their faces full of surprise:

"Bei Huai?"

"Is that Bei Huai from the Ten Venerable Seats?"

"Xu Xiaoshou?"

"Is that Xu Xiaoshou, the new Seven Sword Immortal and Lord Shou's attendant, the Saint Slave?"

The undisguised contempt and arrogance in that voice, combined with the towering white-bone giant high above, created an impact that reached its peak.

What was even more striking was the hidden message in Xu Xiaoshou's words:

"Bei Huai, the Saint Emperor!"

"That Qilin? Does it have Saint Emperor-level power? Is that Bei Huai?"

"And now, this battle isn't just about semi-saints—it's a Saint Emperor clash?"

The people of the Qilin Realm were utterly dumbfounded.

But that wasn't the most important part—what mattered was...

Xu Xiaoshou, who had barely defeated the semi-saint Rao Yaoyao at Yunlun and was questioned by the world for possibly relying on the other great powers of Sky City, showing that he still had limitations...

Had only waited a month or so before growing dissatisfied with that.

He had set his sights on a Saint Emperor!

He was even engaging in a cross-era battle against Bei Huai!

"This..."

"How is that possible?"

"Is this really not just a madman's dream?"

The arrogant declaration echoing through the Qilin Realm also reached the Four Symbols Secret Realm, where a hole had been torn in the sky.

While the refiners outside mostly couldn't grasp the full meaning—after all, their perspectives limited their understanding of Saint Emperor power—the young talents in the Four Symbols Secret Realm, as future Saint Palace saints, knew all too well how terrifying the person must be to shout like that in front of Saint Emperor Bei Huai.

What made their hearts feel even more bitter was...

Xu Xiaoshou was from their generation, just a young upstart who should have been undergoing trials in the Four Symbols Secret Realm!

"At his age, how can he be so, so..."

The Shengshen Continent had no concept of "grinding" or "hustling."

Yet, all the peer geniuses in the Four Symbols Secret Realm felt the essence of it in that moment.

Just from that one line...

Even without seeing the power of his strike, just from the audacity to roar it in front of a Saint Emperor!

The older generation, upon reflection, felt their age deeply and truly witnessed the arrival of a new era.

The younger generation gained a glimpse of the oppressive force that the Ten Venerable Seats had exerted over the previous generation's talents, and even that of the Eighth Sword Immortal.

"Xu Xiaoshou, charging ahead alone."

"No matter how hard we try in our lives, we can never catch up to him!"

"Receiving attention, passive value: 9999."

"Receiving admiration, passive value: 9999."

"Receiving awe, passive value: 9999."

Xu Xiaoshou was overjoyed in his heart.

He once had a wild dream in his past life: to stand in the center of a massive stage and shout to all the audience, "I am an innate expert!"

Back then, he believed his passive value pool could surge by ten thousand points.

Now, standing in the Qilin Realm before millions of spectators, he revealed his identity without any concealment.

"The me of today is no longer the me of back then."

"With this Tian Ancestor inheritance, why should I skulk around like those petty villains, the eight venerable rats, hiding in the shadows?"

Xu Xiaoshou's voice boomed like thunder, his gaze sweeping over the realm.

This grand gesture of his was no longer met with doubt and scorn, but with awe and respect!

Of course, the most crucial part was...

"Passive value: 6,214,443."

After his recent attribute upgrades, his passive value had dropped to five digits, but with this single shout, it exploded by six million points!

Six million...

And this was just the beginning!

Xu Xiaoshou wouldn't have dared to dream this beautifully, even in his fantasy time.

The info bar had its limits, showing "9999" at a time.

But the refiners of an entire realm were nearly limitless.

Even if each person could only contribute one passive value point, and their emotions wouldn't fluctuate much afterward...

The sheer numbers made it overwhelming!

The info bar was scrolling so fast that Xu Xiaoshou had never seen anything like it in his life—he was in absolute awe!

He had saved the Tan Shen and could have left, but he stayed to pull off this move.

What he had in mind, besides verifying his skills, was exactly this moment.

"Just this one big score!"

"After this, I'll quit for good and never act recklessly again!"

"Huai Bao... I will kill you!!!"

Sleeveless Tian Ancestor Chi Jiao Hand!

As that withered, charred black hand came crashing down from above.

As the eyes of the white-bone giant flashed with madness, fervor, and even a strangely inexplicable "infatuation"...

No onlooker was more shocked than the party involved, Bei Huai, at that moment!

"Zuyuan Power..."

"The special application of Thorough Divine Sense..."

"This must be the unique giant physique from combining ancient martial Human Path and Tian Ancestor inheritance..."

Bei Huai truly couldn't believe that a mere Wangzuo Dao Realm practitioner like Xu Xiaoshou could fully fuse these three ultimate forces into such an attack.

This level of talent...

Bei Huai seemed to see echoes of the talented figures from the Ten Venerable Seats battles of the past.

Even with his current move, Xu Xiaoshou could likely claim a spot in that era's contests.

He was a genius across ages!

Earlier, Bei Huai hadn't just underestimated him—he had severely underestimated him!

"But..."

"Why, with such power, did he act so fearful of me before, like a lion or tiger, humble as dust?"

There was no time to think!

The Tian Ancestor hand was suppressing everything, seizing the moment when the Senluo Domain couldn't cover the white-bone giant.

How could it give Bei Huai a chance to think or escape?

And as one of the Ten Venerable Seats, as a Saint Emperor...

Even if Xu Xiaoshou displayed power beyond his realm, did Bei Huai need to retreat?

He never even considered it!

"Five Realms of Emperors."

With a soft utterance.

The shackles on the four limbs of the Saint Emperor Qilin clanged.

In an instant, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth surged and took form.

Between the Tian Ancestor Chi Jiao Hand and the Saint Emperor Qilin, five layers of worlds appeared, severing space and rules, extending the distance between the battle lines.

"This is..."

As the white-bone giant pressed down a hand, Xu Xiaoshou's eyes showed surprise.

He could see that Bei Huai's move had shades of the "Three Realms Prison World," but it wasn't exactly the same.

Most obviously, "Three Realms Prison World" was a divine soul spirit technique to counter Shen Yi's Hungry Ghost Path.

This "Five Realms of Emperors," formed by gathering and shaping the five elements forces, lined up distinctly without interfering with each other.

It was specifically designed to counter the Tian Ancestor Chi Jiao Hand!

An improvised technique?

Bei Huai, what incredible ability!

"Boom—"

A thunderous explosion echoed in the sky.

The first realm, Azure Dragon Realm, was instantly crushed under the Tian Ancestor Chi Jiao Hand, its dense wood-element force booming and exploding, cracking the realm's body with countless fissures.

"Pop pop pop..."

Strange light sounds ignited within the realm.

In a flash, the Azure Dragon Realm turned into a world of white flames. The Tian Ancestor Chi Jiao Hand pressed down, and the realm burst into crystalline shards with a bang.

The surging energy that scattered was partly absorbed by Xu Xiaoshou's body, now inheriting the Tian Ancestor power.

The rest was swallowed whole by the ravenous maw behind the white-bone giant, all converted into energy supply for Xu Xiaoshou.

"Xuanwu Realm!"

The Saint Emperor Qilin's eyes grew solemn.

The Five Realms of Emperors was one of his contingency moves, but it was formed by exhausting the full power of the Saint Emperor Qilin.

Could the defense of a Saint Emperor's true form withstand just one strike from Xu Xiaoshou?

Wood generates fire.

After withstanding the Tian Ancestor Chi Jiao Hand, the massive aura on that white-bone hand turned into pure fire energy.

Water counters fire.

The Xuanwu Realm was second in line.

Bei Huai's depth of thought and combat reflexes were evident here.

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle..."

As the Tian Ancestor Chi Jiao Hand, wreathed in white flames, entered the Xuanwu Realm, Xu Xiaoshou felt his strike's power diminishing, weakened by more than thirty percent.

Not only was it consuming itself with every move, but the Saint Emperor's power was also rapidly draining it, exploiting the five elements' mutual generation and countering.

"Worthy of the Ten Venerable Seats..."

Was the Saint Emperor Qilin first possessed by Bei Huai?

Yet, with just a remnant soul, he utilized the Qilin's power to this extent—Bei Huai lived up to his name!

"Boom—"

Undoubtedly, even with reduced power, the Tian Ancestor Chi Jiao Hand still forcefully shattered the Xuanwu Realm—it was, after all, the power of a limit giant plus Zuyuan force plus Thorough Divine Sense.

Due to the five elements countering, Xu Xiaoshou had to convert all the fire energy, keeping his strike centered on Tian Ancestor power to continue the attack.

But after destroying the second realm, its consumption increased even more.

He could only use the ravenous maw to devour the remnants of the Xuanwu Realm, inadvertently letting the Tian Ancestor Chi Jiao Hand pick up a trace of water-element aura.

Seeing this, a hint of satisfaction flashed in the Saint Emperor Qilin's eyes.

"He's trying to outmaneuver me!"

How perceptive was Xu Xiaoshou?

Even after reading Bei Huai's intent, he seemed trapped in a vicious cycle:

Either stop the attack.

Or, with every realm broken, use the ravenous maw to devour the opponent's power.

Otherwise, the consumption would be too great to keep up!

"Damn Bei Huai..."

The third realm, Qilin Realm of the Five Realms of Emperors!

Earth counters water, and the earth-element Qilin Realm was clearly meant to counter water power. Xu Xiaoshou raged and shattered another realm.

The fourth realm hadn't even been touched yet.

Seizing the opportunity from the three realms being broken, the Saint Emperor Qilin caught its breath, raised a front claw, and summoned a distant Azure Dragon shadow from the sky.

"Azure Dragon Descent!"

Roar—

A dragon's roar resounded.

A massive, winding Azure Dragon burst from the fourth realm, transforming into pure wood-element Saint Emperor power, charging toward the Tian Ancestor Chi Jiao Hand.

This time, it wasn't wood generating fire.

After devouring the Qilin Realm's Saint Emperor power, Xu Xiaoshou's body was emanating earth-element aura.

Not just Xu Xiaoshou.

Even the refiners below, gazing at the distant sky and marveling at the Tian Ancestor Chi Jiao Hand breaking through the realms layer by layer, could read the Saint Emperor Qilin's intent.

Wood counters earth!

This was a chain of restraints...

"Boom!"

The Azure Dragon shadow was instantly devoured by the ravenous maw for a full meal.

Inside Xu Xiaoshou, various powers became disordered, making him extremely uncomfortable, as if being led by the nose.

The fourth realm, White Tiger Realm!

The gold-element White Tiger Realm, which counters wood, held out for a full thirteen breaths before being broken.

The fifth realm, Vermilion Bird Realm, fire counters gold!

By then, the Tian Ancestor Chi Jiao Hand was already on the verge of collapsing—it had endured four instances of Saint Emperor power's reverse clashes!

If Xu Xiaoshou were a Saint Emperor, he could withstand it.

But he was essentially just a Wangzuo Dao Realm practitioner with a semi-saint body; the limit giant was strong, but not yet at its peak...

The Saint Emperor Qilin, however, was in its true form!

Even in its weakened state, its power far surpassed Bei Huai's remnant soul or the combined Four God Pillars of the ghost-beast Saint Emperor on Void Island!

"Xu Xiaoshou, can he break through the Saint Emperor's defense..."

The world below watched that charred hand rampaging through, hearts in their throats.

Setting aside loyalties.

Everyone hoped for an underdog's reversal.

Everyone yearned for the story of the new wave overturning the old, stepping on predecessors to rise to fame.

What's more, Xu Xiaoshou had delivered such a shocking visual spectacle—the Thorough Divine Sense under Zuyuan power was utterly mind-blowing!

However...

Few truly understood the situation.

When the Vermilion Bird Realm remained unbroken for over twenty breaths under the Tian Ancestor Chi Jiao Hand, a mocking glint flashed in the Saint Emperor Qilin's eyes as it sighed:

"Truly, your talent surpasses the world."

"But alas, time is the barrier no one can cross—it's the heaviest obstacle for geniuses, the regret of the past, the sigh of the present. Unrealized talent is worth nothing!"

Bei Huai saw how strong Xu Xiaoshou could become after growing—he would rival a fully realized Ten Venerable Seat.

But who was Xu Xiaoshou facing?

A fully realized Ten Venerable Seat!

Saint Emperor Bei Huai, and even more, the perfect fusion of Bei Huai within the Saint Emperor Qilin!

Flowers may bloom brilliantly, signifying their effort.

But who hasn't bloomed brilliantly? It's just that times change, and the world has forgotten how Bei Huai once strived.

"Crack—"

When the Vermilion Bird Realm was finally blasted through and the Tian Ancestor Chi Jiao Hand arrived late, the Saint Emperor Qilin moved.

A faint light glowed on its horn.

"Sinking World Earth!"

The other four elements were merely borrowed.

The earth-element power, unique to the Saint Emperor Qilin and its dao, shone with shocking brilliance under Bei Huai's control at that moment.

With a command.

The Saint Emperor domain enveloped the entire Qilin Realm.

The great dao of heaven and earth was dyed in thick, yellow earth tones.

The Saint Emperor Qilin rooted itself in the void, able to mobilize the full power of this patch of Shengshen Continent's land.

Amid the rumbling earthquakes across the Qilin Realm, earthy yellow dao principles gathered and formed, condensing into chains that wildly wrapped around the white-bone giant's body, still incomplete in its flesh.

At the same time, filthy purple earth, heavy black earth, dirty green earth, upright yellow earth, bloody red earth... and so on appeared in the void!

These countless chunks of earth, condensed and compressed to the extreme, even a piece the size of a fingernail had the weight of ten thousand jun.

And in this battle, there were far more than that.

—In an instant, those innumerable earth chunks filled the entire blue sky of the Qilin Realm, turning it into a multicolored land!

"This..."

How could anyone not feel terrified at the sight?

This was Saint Emperor power!

With one move, it flipped the sky into earth and turned the ground into a prison!

The blue sky became land, and at the center of the world, with a tap of the Saint Emperor Qilin's horn, it transformed into its target—the white-bone giant!

"Receiving lock-on, passive value: 1."

The world had changed.

Xu Xiaoshou felt his own gravitational pull multiplying by millions, a nameless terror spreading through his entire body.

"This is bad!"

"Time..."

The words couldn't even form. In just half a breath.

"Boom boom boom boom boom boom boom..."

The land suspended in the sky, with the white-bone giant at its center, rapidly collapsed inward.

Countless heavy earth chunks, like world-shattering hammers, slammed into the white-bone giant's flesh, trunk, and bones, smashing out chunks of solid bone fragments!

"This..."

The people below were horrified.

The entire world was inverted again.

This time, it was sideways—the land turned into a standing white-bone giant!

As "Sinking World Earth" embedded itself, the ground to the sky of the Qilin Realm was like building an unbreakable wall of separation.

And within that wall, all life was extinguished.

That Tian Ancestor Chi Jiao Hand, which had broken through the Five Realms of Emperors, had its residual power completely worn away, no longer threatening the Saint Emperor Qilin. Under the embedding of Sinking World Earth, it was thoroughly pierced and turned to mud.

"Gulp..."

Everyone swallowed hard.

So, in the end, he still lost?

Xu Xiaoshou was strong... he was incredibly strong, with the Tian Ancestor hand and Thorough Divine Sense as cross-era, leap-realm powers.

But Bei Huai was too!

Time, as Bei Huai said, was truly humanity's fate, a barrier even the Saint Slave Lord Shou couldn't cross?

Perhaps it should be called a chasm...

"Let the farce end here."

The Saint Emperor Qilin spoke calmly, its emotions unfluctuating.

Just as he never took Xu Xiaoshou seriously, this person had surprised him enough.

Did everyone think they were Shen Yi, able to fight a Saint Emperor with illusions, brave the Ghost Gate, and defy heaven?

Little did they know, even Shen Yi, after Bei Huai possessed the Qilin, hadn't even touched him before vanishing in smoke.

"Tan Shen..."

The Saint Emperor Qilin's deep blue eyes glowed eerily as it searched for the ghost-beast aura within the standing land.

Soon, its gaze fixed, revealing joy.

But at the same time, a hint of bewilderment arose in the deep blue.

"Buzz!"

Beneath the sideways land of the Qilin Realm, a brilliant array of mystic principles suddenly unfolded.

The white-bone giant, trapped in the land with its body forcefully pierced by Saint Emperor power, now held a staff in its palm—unnoticed until now.

Compared to the giant taller than the heavens, that staff was almost imperceptible.

But Bei Huai was startled and recalled:

Back when Xu Xiaoshou first appeared, he was holding that staff!

"Time mystic principles..."

As the array appeared for the second time, everyone could see its form clearly.

Complex gears, mysterious pendulums, obscure patterns... all intertwined to form the power known as "time."

"Swish swish swish..."

From behind the sideways land came the sound of invisible water flowing—that wasn't water; it was time.

It then evolved into a winding, coiling river—that wasn't a river; it was fate!

At that moment, a voice full of defiance and rebellion emerged from the defeated battlefield, yet it landed forcefully before the white-bone giant was sealed into the land.

Everyone remembered!

Before the white-bone giant was buried in the "Sinking World Earth" land decreed by the Saint Emperor, it had indeed reacted in time!

That voice.

It came after he said "This is bad."

It was defiance, usurpation, stubborn survival in the face of certain death.

"Time is in my grasp, fate is in my hands!"

With those words, the time dao disk spun in reverse, and the river of fate flowed backward into the unknown.

Reality blurred with illusion, undefinable.

The cycle of reincarnation and life returned to the word "human."

Humans as rulers!

Humans as heaven, as earth, as the root of all things!

"Dao!"

The world rewound, scenery flying in reverse.

"Interval!"

The people returned to calm, their shock subsiding like waves.

"Human!"

The light on the Saint Emperor Qilin's horn extinguished.

Bei Huai's sincere sigh echoed word by word.

With a thunderous explosion, the endless earth chunks were ejected from the white-bone giant's body.

The filth left it, the blood left it, the uprightness left it, the dirt left it...

Everything that could sink the world left it, left the white-bone giant.

Under the power of the Human Path, the white-bone giant absorbed all heavenly laws, evolving to its limit.

Limit Giant!

The Saint Emperor Qilin opened its mouth in a sigh: "Pity, time is the barrier no one can cross..."

But Bei Huai was shocked anew.

Those were his own words!

How, how could they be repeated now?

"Empty regrets, coming again?"

Opposite him, the white-bone giant, having erased the Vermilion Bird Realm with Human Path power, transformed into a complete limit giant.

It pressed down a hand, destroying all laws, catching "Sinking World Earth" before it could fully form, and ground the small Saint Emperor Qilin's head into the fragments of space-time.

Dao principles shattered.

All laws faded.

Below the Qilin Realm, only the Tian Ancestor Chi Jiao Hand, risen from death, and Xu Xiaoshou's casual, mocking laugh remained:

"The barrier no one can cross, I can."

"So, go die!"