Chapter 1408: Both Defeated, Bathing in Blood Yet Still Fighting; The Heavenly Ancestor's Command Drives the General Mad

"Damn it!"

Xu Xiaoshou was close to collapsing.

Fortunately, Jin Ren's telepathic voice arrived just in time:

"These are two weaving techniques I developed while you were fighting."

"The first is called 'Feng Bi Zhen'. You can apply it to yourself to seal all fluctuations in your divine soul, making it impossible for outsiders to detect. It requires an extra drop of Tan Shen's blood."

"Aside from the one providing the blood drop, who can bypass the formation and control your divine soul, others like Bei Huai's remnant soul—I've calculated—if you have no divine soul fluctuations, they won't be able to manipulate you. However, if Bei Huai's true body shows up, disregard what I said."

"This way, as long as Tan Shen continuously casts San Yan Tong Mu on you without interruption, you can ignore 'Jing Shen Jue Xing' and maintain the state of Sheng Ming Dao Pan and Tian Ren He Yi for recovery."

Telepathic communication was like talking to himself.

Jin Ren was completely unfiltered, casually mentioning Bei Huai without fear of being discovered.

"You're incredible."

Xu Xiaoshou praised flatly.

Truly worthy of being me—thinking so thoroughly, even considering 'Jing Shen Jue Xing'.

Without hesitation, he took a drop of Tan Shen's blood and swiftly wove this saint-level Ling Zhen onto himself.

—Jin Ren dared not use Tian Ji Shu, fearing that Dao Qiong Cang might suddenly appear and casually break his Tian Ji array.

"The second one is called 'Xun Huan Zhen', for Tan Shen to use."

"Apply it to Tan Shen, and it can continuously cast San Yan Tong Mu on you without being disturbed by external objects or forces..."

"Boss, please heed my advice—Tan Shen is genuinely unstable; its attention could wander to anything, even something like a Dan Ding."

"A saint-level Ling Zhen isn't entirely reliable; a contract is the safest bet. I'm not kidding."

Xu Xiaoshou sighed upon hearing this.

How could he not know all this?

Jin Ren's telepathic voice was basically echoing his own suppressed thoughts, the ones he desperately tried to ignore.

And now, with Jin Ren bringing it up from a third-person perspective,

This meant the current situation was truly critical, and contracting Tan Shen was a necessary precaution.

"Little fat cat."

The Limit Giant, holding the tiny Tan Shen like a speck of dust, sincerely asked, "Can you do it? Keep using San Yan Tong Mu to control me and maintain that previous command?"

"Meow?"

Tan Shen didn't quite understand but still nodded.

"The situation is very dangerous now. If you don't do this, your master—me—will die, and then no one will protect you. Do you understand?"

"Meow!"

Tan Shen jumped in fright, raising its paw as if to swear, showing it grasped the seriousness.

"And if I die, or if you can't maintain control over me,"

"That other me you've seen will come and directly contract you, and we'll merge into one."

"This is the absolute last resort!"

Xu Xiaoshou didn't lie; he genuinely scared it: "Do you want to end up like that?"

He pointed to the space fragments.

The implied meaning was the miserable state of Sheng Di Qi Lin after being possessed by Bei Huai.

Tan Shen glanced back, its eyes gleaming mysteriously.

Merge with the master...

Become one...

"Meow!"

The little white cat nodded vigorously, indicating it was quite willing.

"Damn it!"

Xu Xiaoshou immediately applied the saint-level Ling Zhen to this unreliable creature.

What the meow!

Why does it have this kind of temperament? Did it learn from Zang Ku?

Once the saint-level Ling Zhen was on, Tan Shen didn't resist at all; it just felt its body acting strangely and instinctively wanted to control its master.

But Tan Shen had seen all of its master's peculiarities.

"A master who likes to be controlled..."

"It's weird, but not entirely incomprehensible..."

Tan Shen was happy with this and didn't choose to devour the array patterns on its body.

It had gained spiritual intelligence early on and knew its master seemed afraid of losing those array patterns.

Still...

The master was clearly underestimating it.

Oh well, might as well play along—controlling the master could be a new experience.

"Sheng Ming Dao Pan..."

This great dao disk mobilized all the life energy of heaven and earth, continuing to operate even after Xu Xiaoshou fell unconscious.

Jin Ren had considered everything thoroughly.

His suggestion to contract Tan Shen also stemmed partly from Tan Shen's overpowered devouring attributes.

But thinking that if everything failed, he could switch his will to control the original body, allowing the original body's sleeping will to rest in his own body, he didn't push further.

This was the biggest advantage of the original body and the second true self being both connected and independent—something many semi-saints' avatars couldn't match.

Xu Xiaoshou understood this perfectly.

If he fell unconscious, his unconscious will could transfer to Jin Ren's body... but that slight obsession with purity made him accept this second-hand backup plan.

After all, Jin Ren had been contaminated before...

Although it hadn't self-destructed so far, and no other accidents had occurred, nothing abnormal was detected.

But what if? With someone as flashy as Lao Dao, Xu Xiaoshou always remained on high alert—he feared death.

Whoosh!

The telepathic communication between the Limit Giant and Jin Ren happened in an instant.

To the outside world, after that super-sized giant twisted and tore apart Sheng Di Qi Lin,

People in the lower world each heard a faint whistling sound deep in their souls.

Sheng Di Qi Lin was thrown into the space fragments, but a wisp of its remnant soul escaped.

"Xu Xiaoshou..."

"How is this possible?"

A Qi, a manifestation of Bei Huai's Saint Emperor intent, had been invited by Dao Qiong Cang to carry out a mission in the Si Xiang Mi Jing.

Being able to dispatch the Bei Ming Di Jing proved that despite some minor personal quirks, it was essentially a normal intent manifestation.

At least, it wouldn't be like A Le obsessing over rocking horses, A Mei over procreation, or A Dai over... well, that—completely fixated on nonsense.

A Qi had already been shattered into a wisp of remnant soul under Shen Yi's tearing.

After possessing Sheng Di Qi Lin, it thought victory was assured, even against Shen Yi's return.

Now, it was shocked to find that Xu Xiaoshou alone had shattered its host body—a Saint Emperor host, and a true one at that!

"This is insane..."

"Completely incomprehensible..."

At this moment, even with a strong mindset, A Qi couldn't help but feel a hint of fear toward the Limit Giant and its own future.

As a Saint Emperor intent manifestation with its own consciousness,

It knew that death meant reset, and even with Bei Huai in white clothes and bare feet researching reincarnation, it could potentially cycle back.

But precisely because it was so human-like,

A Qi knew that after reincarnation, it probably wouldn't be itself anymore.

"Run?"

"I'm a Saint Emperor, representing Bei Huai. If I get scared off by mere Xu Xiaoshou, what dignity is left—and going back to Bei Ming Di Jing would be a dead end anyway!"

"Not run?"

"Xu Xiaoshou has mastered Ren Jian Dao in a glance; he might even have Ji Gui Dao. He has the Shen Nong Drug Garden with all those soul saint medicines—staying means waiting to die?"

Bei Huai in Bei Ming Di Jing had likely seen the situation through A Shou or A Mei.

Yet, no reinforcements or telepathic transmissions were coming, probably because that side was held up too.

"I am Bei Huai..."

"I am Bei Huai..."

"I am Bei Huai..."

After three declarations, Bei Huai's wisp of remnant soul showed a fierce glint in its eyes and laughed mockingly:

"You broke the Qi Lin true body—I'll admit, you exceeded my expectations."

"But in your current state, how long can you hold out?"

"Even if you have Ji Gui Dao and can use it, what about the backlash afterward?"

Oh no...

Xu Xiaoshou lifted his heavy eyelids and looked at that wisp of remnant soul.

He could tell the other was bluffing, but he was also at his limit.

"Your divine soul is boiling."

Bei Huai's remnant soul unexpectedly noticed something.

Because in that instant, Xu Xiaoshou hadn't controlled his emotions well.

"Your condition is worse than I thought..."

"No! You mastered Ren Jian Dao, but Ji Gui Dao? Not necessarily!"

Bei Huai's remnant soul moved, summoning the San Po Ding and dripping a drop of soul blood onto it.

Seeing this, Xu Xiaoshou knew Bei Huai was still Bei Huai—he wouldn't be scared off.

This guy, even as a mere wisp of remnant soul, was going all out!

A starving camel is still bigger than a horse.

Sure, it was just a remnant soul,

But now, that divine soul body, though not as muscular as when it first appeared, was still a burly man—far stronger than Xu Xiaoshou's unexercised divine soul body!

Psychological attacks? Xu Xiaoshou wouldn't fall behind.

"One quarter of an hour."

He didn't need to say more.

Just those three words made Bei Huai's remnant soul freeze, its divine soul starting to boil.

One quarter of an hour...

Is Ba Zun An giving him face?

Xu Xiaoshou is still waiting—his help is coming?

Recalling those piercing words from before, Bei Huai's remnant soul smiled, not underestimating, but laughing out loud:

"You're waiting for someone."

"And me? Am I not waiting too?"

The Limit Giant showed no expression.

It wasn't that he wasn't scared; he just couldn't control his expressions anymore.

The Limit Giant felt like it was detaching from its own body, with so much distance that even moving a finger was incredibly hard.

But in that instant, Bei Huai's remnant soul acted.

It quickly contracted the San Po Ding—its own power no longer allowed for Ling Ji, but it could use external forces to attack.

An uncontracted San Po Ding might be dodged by Xu Xiaoshou.

Now contracted, it could lock onto the divine soul for a fatal pursuit.

As long as it grazed once, with San Po Ding's soul-scattering properties, given Xu Xiaoshou's weak divine soul body...

He would definitely die!

Whoosh—

With a swift flight,

Bei Huai's remnant soul launched the divine soul attack without extra thought.

Compared to the earlier epic battle, this was like a child scratching—insignificant.

But in this moment of mutual exhaustion, it could be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

"Why bother..."

The Limit Giant lowered its head, its eyelids closing.

Bei Huai's remnant soul could clearly see that the guy's divine soul had instantly grown weary, as if about to fall asleep.

But!

When the San Po Ding approached his face, the giant suddenly lifted its gaze again, its eyes flashing with massive dark swords.

The two swords merged at the Limit Giant's brow, condensing into a point of blood red.

"Hong Zi Gui Qian?"

Bei Huai's remnant soul jumped in shock.

Right then, a roar echoing through heaven and earth exploded:

"Battle!"

This was the Limit Giant forcing itself to roar in anger:

"Battle! To the last moment!"

"Blood! To the last drop!"

In the ears of people in Qi Lin Jie and Zhong Yuan Jie,

This sounded like a summons, calling forth another saintly voice:

"Battle!"

"Battle!!"

"Battle!!!"

A wisp of dark light descended from the sky.

In the mostly invisible soul world,

Just as the San Po Ding was about to pierce the immobile Limit Giant, an armored figure suddenly appeared in front of the giant—a Void General kneeling on one knee, a great sword through its chest.

"A Hong!"

"Kill it!!!"

Xu Xiaoshou issued the command hysterically.

He was fed up.

This Bei Huai was truly disgusting.

If you backed off now, I really couldn't do anything—just let you leave...

But you won't!

Fine, then mutual destruction!

The semi-saint Void General A Hong faced the incoming San Po Ding and gripped the great sword at its chest without hesitation.

Boom—

Invisible soul waves surged through the void.

In Bei Huai's remnant soul's eyes, with one sword draw, the Void General repelled the newly contracted San Po Ding.

Yes.

San Po Ding was powerful.

As a lost artifact from the ancient Gu Wen Bei, its destructive force was undeniable.

But since it was just temporarily contracted, and Bei Huai's remnant soul hadn't even refined it or communicated with its spirit,

How could it compare to the Void General, who had fought to the death in the last battle of Void Island, vowing to perish with its sword?

Whoosh—

The San Po Ding flew back from afar, turning the tables to stab into Bei Huai's remnant soul.

"Back off!"

Bei Huai's eyes changed with a glance.

The lost artifact trembled and halted its attack.

But following the San Po Ding came the suddenly released form of Void General A Hong, transforming into a massive giant filling the sky.

The general swung its sword in fury, cleaving toward Zhong Yuan!

In A Hong's world, there was no Sheng Shen Continent—only the master's life or death mattered.

With one command, even if what stood before it was Bei Huai's true body, it would draw its sword.

People in Qi Lin Jie and Zhong Yuan Jie suddenly felt a chill.

In their sight, most couldn't see Void General A Hong, nor Bei Huai's remnant soul body.

Yet they could feel their souls turn icy cold, death intent rising—that invisible, sky-filling sword was about to fall.

As the sword came down, Bei Huai's remnant soul didn't dodge or evade, slowly flicking its finger to deflect the nail.

"Below the emperor, no saints dare act recklessly?"

Saint Emperor!

This was a realm.

A ten-seat Saint Emperor had cultivated this unperturbed demeanor in Bei Huai's remnant soul.

Though Void General's sudden appearance was startling,

A saint was still a saint, and a semi-saint was still a semi-saint—there was a clear divide.

Even weakened, if it couldn't withstand a semi-saint's sword, with one command, its power would unleash.

That sword-wielding, released thousand-zhang giant had to hover in mid-air...

Woo—

A mournful wail echoed everywhere.

Even people in the lower world heard it and felt Void General A Hong's tragic emotions.

It was helplessness, loneliness, unwillingness...

The pain of defeat in battle, the grief of being powerless, the confusion of being trapped in time and reincarnation...

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned for a moment.

He had forgotten—Bei Huai's ability was to make people sad, to induce regret.

He had a second true self to switch consciousness, but Void General couldn't escape.

And an ordinary semi-saint against a Saint Emperor, even if the emperor was just a remnant soul, was absolutely helpless!

"Bei Huai..."

Xu Xiaoshou gritted his teeth.

Was that all?

Just like that?

"A Hong!!!"

The Limit Giant could barely move but managed a long howl.

In that moment, as Tian Zu's successor, bearing the Tian Zu body and will, Xu Xiaoshou issued a command only the Void Giant clan could understand:

"Ungratefulness is acceptable, resentment is acceptable, helplessness is acceptable... All for mortals, but not for you!"

"This ancestor's order: Battle to the end, rest only in death!"

Bei Huai's remnant soul buzzed with a tremor but couldn't make out the command's content.

But!

In the next breath, it saw the Void General as if injected with stimulants, moving!

Void General A Hong's eyes under its helmet, with ghostly fire, clearly streaming blood tears, yet it seemed to cast aside all distractions and self, charging fearlessly.

It swung its great sword again, slashing toward the Saint Emperor.

Roar—

Void General A Hong, under orders!

This sword tore through the blue sky, blackened the universe, contained Tian Zu's power, and absorbed spirits from all directions.

Bei Huai's remnant soul had nowhere to flee.

It watched in horror as the San Po Ding easily pierced the Void General's armor defense and shattered its skull.

But the general's sword split down from the top of its head!

"Ah—"

One sword divided the soul.

Bei Huai's remnant soul let out a shrill scream.

It couldn't comprehend—Xu Xiaoshou was one thing, with his special abilities.

But how could this mindless, weakened semi-saint resist under the Saint Emperor's word of power...

Wait!

Xu Xiaoshou, Tian Zu's successor?

The remnant soul, just a wisp, couldn't even connect its thoughts in time.

By the time it realized, it was too late for Bei Huai's remnant soul.

Void General A Hong became a berserk warrior, forgetting its own life and death.

The San Po Ding whistled back and forth, riddling its body with holes, turning it into a beehive.

Yet Void General A Hong struck sword after sword, determined to blast Bei Huai's remnant soul into pieces, then fragments, then dust.

Roar—

Battle! To the last moment!

Blood! To the last drop!