Chapter 1410: Saint Festival Summons the Ten Thousand World Storms, Prison Gates Seal the Hungry Ghosts Passing Through the Netherworld

"What?!" Beihai's last remaining wisp of will erupted with a shocked roar high in the sky. How dare a mere Throne Dao Realm cultivator interfere in a Saint Emperor battle? How could a mere Throne Dao Realm cultivator possess the power of two ancestral origins? And if one such cultivator wasn't enough, how could *another* Throne Dao Realm cultivator appear, attempting to defy fate and change destiny?

"The Lei Family bloodline, Divine Demonic Eye?" A maniacal cackle erupted high above. Beihai's will now felt like the stereotypical villain in a tale, with this new generation apparently intent on trampling him to achieve fame before the world.

"How dare you mere ants be so audacious?" From the immensely powerful Three Realms Soul Teleportation Formation, the "Three Days Translocation" ritual manifested a force capable of annihilating a world. As the Pure-Impure Realm shuddered for three days, a torrent of gray light, charged with destruction, descended. Its target was precisely the two insignificant figures below.

Lei Xi'er’s gaze remained unwavering. She formed a flower seal with her hands and chanted, "Divine Demonic Sacrifice, Crying Blood Saha." With a soft exhalation, she parted her red lips and expelled a mouthful of vital blood. Instantly, the sacred divine demonic energy that filled the sky transformed into pure sustenance, which the Demonic Ancient Tree greedily devoured.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!* The high-altitude air currents surged violently. Lei Xi'er's sacred aura vanished, replaced by an alluring malevolence, transforming her into a woman of the demonic path. Yet, simultaneously, her cultivation aura surged, ascending rapidly from the Throne Dao Realm to the Dao Severance and Tai Xu levels.

"Go," she commanded, pointing a slender finger. The black-and-white 'Other Shore Flower' blooming heavenward beneath her feet absorbed all sanctity into its black petals, which then transformed into pure scarlet blood. With a *boom*, the blood-red Crying Blood Saha 'Other Shore Flower' launched itself heavenward. As it ascended, it spun rapidly like the Divine Demonic Eye, even crushing and consuming the Demonic Ancient Tree, converting it into its own sustenance.

A world-annihilating blast of Saint Emperor light descended from the Three Days Soul Translocation Array. Beihai’s will was clearly in a frenzy, completely abandoning its primary mission. All it desired was to eliminate the current obstruction before continuing the soul transfer. This uncontrolled rage was not unrelated to the fragmented state of his residual soul, the erosion of his memory over time, and his own inherent minor temperamental flaws.

*Rumble—* With just a single clash, the sky fractured, and the balance of yin and yang was annihilated. The destructive light slammed into the blood-red 'Other Shore Flower', causing its fierce rotation to momentarily falter. The very next second, *Pfft!* Lei Xi'er, still straining below, could no longer contain it and spat out a mouthful of blood. She was, after all, only a Throne Dao Realm cultivator. Even with the Divine Demonic Eye's immense power that could reach through heaven and earth, the demonic energy only temporarily elevated her strength to the Tai Xu level. Even a Tai Xu cultivator, when facing a Saint Emperor — no matter how weakened that Saint Emperor's remnant soul might be — simply lacked the power to retaliate. That Crying Blood Saha could resist even for a moment already surpassed Lei Xi'er's expectations, a testament to the immense power of the Divine Demonic Eye and the ancestral origins.

"Ultimate Life Demonic Domain!" With time running out, Lei Xi'er, without even a moment to wipe the scarlet from her lips, trembled and immediately unleashed her Ultimate Life Demonic Body. This Ultimate Life Demonic Body, once considered one of the five great ultimate physiques, once again manifested before the eyes of the world.

Life spiritual energy diffused throughout the sky, immediately followed by an overwhelming surge of demonic energy capable of corrupting and devouring any living being that absorbed it. Black demonic energy surged and spread, blanketing thousands of miles and plundering all life force within its immense reach.

"Mmm," Lei Xi'er groaned, her pale, oval face flushing with a deeper hue. She had almost succumbed to the overwhelming life spiritual energy, on the verge of transforming into Mu Zixi! However, she quickly regained her senses, frantically channeling the power plundered by her Ultimate Life Demonic Body into Crying Blood Saha.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!* Under the Saint Emperor's destructive light, Crying Blood Saha was on the verge of halting its rotation and disintegrating. But then, it shuddered. Its rotation speed increased, allowing it to persist for a few more breaths!

"One breath? Three breaths?" Lei Xi'er's delicate body trembled violently, her expression strained. Even the Ultimate Life Demonic Domain couldn't endure such a drain; she had begun drawing power from the White Cave minor world, a desperate last resort! Yet, various parts of her body had already begun to crack and bleed from the backlash — an excruciating agony.

Lei Xi'er didn't know how much longer she could endure. She only knew that as long as her eyes remained open, Crying Blood Saha could not cease its rotation.

"Xu Xiaoshou..." Likewise, Lei Xi'er understood that this was all she needed to do. She also knew that what Xu Xiaoshou truly needed was not the Time Ancestor Shadow Staff itself, but the precious time it could afford him. And that… a person could also provide. What's more, she could even bear the immense consumption on his behalf.

Behind her, as the destructive light and Crying Blood Saha clashed and eroded each other, Xu Xiaoshou was deeply immersed in the ancient Way of the Sword. The ground beneath his feet had already transformed into a swirling Sword Dao Disk.

He was unable to act, yet he *had* to. Given this predicament, his only option was to choose a technique that, even if executed, wouldn't drain much of his energy, or whose cost could be offset by something else. And as it happened... there was! Something he had just learned, still fresh in his mind!

With Lei Xi'er acting as a substitute for the Time Ancestor Shadow Staff, Xu Xiaoshou was free to attempt the Way of the Hungry Ghost. This was the only method by which he could replenish the expended energy using soul-enhancing holy medicine. He didn't need to break the "Three Days Translocation." After all, that was an attack fueled by a soul sacrifice, leveraging Beihai's intent to manifest the power of a peak Saint Emperor. Even Xu Xiaoshou, confident as he was, didn't believe he could destroy such a technique. Instead, he simply needed to enter the Way of the Hungry Ghost, transform into a hungry ghost, and casually crush Beihai's residual soul and lingering consciousness. Once its master's control was severed, the "Three Days Translocation" would naturally collapse. This very tactic, Xu Xiaoshou had learned from Beihai himself, mirroring how Beihai had cut off Shen Yi's path of retreat.

However, entering the Way of the Hungry Ghost required a crucial first step: forming a contract to summon the Ghost Gate! Xu Xiaoshou couldn't simply become the ancient martial arts genius Shen Yi at this moment and spontaneously comprehend such an outrageous ability. He could only seek an alternative. And so, in his mind, the ancient sword art, perfected across all Three Thousand Great Daos, suddenly materialized. Following that, he recalled the Hell Gate Summoning technique that Mr. Si Ren had once demonstrated when he slew Jiang Buyi with his sword.

"Use the sword as a formation, transform the formation to summon ghosts!" No contract was needed; this technique could summon the Ghost Gate Pass, providing a conduit for the ancient martial arts Way of the Hungry Ghost and subsequently demonizing his own Dao. This was Xu Xiaoshou's unique creation: his personal Dao! The three-pronged Dao encompassing Spirit Refining, Ancient Martial Arts, and Ancient Sword Art!

"This sword art is named 'Nine'..." In the void, as the destructive light and Crying Blood Saha wore each other down, a subtle, resonant Daoist chant suddenly reached everyone's ears. Upon observation, the Limit Giant still retained its colossal form, but behind it, a small, frantically trembling black sword had appeared. Though typically inconspicuous, it was remarkably striking at this moment!

"This is..." "An ancient sword art?" "That sword, I recognize that sword! Isn't it one of Saint Slave Master Shou's personal swords from the wanted posters? What grade was it, I wonder..." "Hidden Suffering? Or is it the Four Swords?" "No, that's impossible! Does this mean the giant is truly Master Shou?" "The one battling the Saint Emperor is actually Xu Xiaoshou?"

The Limit Giant was enormous! Not only the people of the Central Yuan Realm but also those in the Qilin Realm heard the Daoist chant, a sound emanating from the ancient sword art, from Xu Xiaoshou's rising momentum. Sword cultivators were rare in the Central Domain, and ancient sword cultivators even more so. However, this did not mean they were nonexistent. On the contrary, while devotees of the Seven Sword Immortals and the Eighth Sword Immortal were few in the Capital, they were numerous across both realms.

"An ancient sword art..." At this moment, countless sword cultivators across both realms looked agitated, their personal swords humming and vibrating as if eager to join the fray. "Why does this sound so much like the legendary Eighth Sword Immortal is drawing his sword?" "Is Xu Xiaoshou's ancient sword art truly so powerful that it can stir the swords of an entire city?" "An entire city? I fear it's not just our White Moon City. The profound formation beneath that giant's feet covers two whole realms! All spirit swords are responding to his call!" "Observing his sword art... this is 'Sword Will'! He truly is Master Shou, the one 'flowers bloom in the northern sky to welcome'!"

The Sword Dao Profound Formation expanded in tandem with the Limit Giant. Xu Xiaoshou fully entered a state of 'unity of heaven and man,' replicating Mr. Si Ren's sword strikes.

"This sword art is named 'Nine'..." "The Way of Nine, the ultimate of numbers, giving birth to myriad forms! Set this formation here, and open the Ghost Gate!"

*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!* As the Daoist chant fully settled, from behind the giant, not only Hidden Suffering emerged, but also Blazing Python, the Four Swords, and even other second and third-grade spirit swords. At this point, the people of both the Qilin Realm and the Central Yuan Realm were almost entirely certain: he was the new Sword Immortal, Xu Xiaoshou!

"The Nine Swords Art, First Realm..." Spirit sword cultivators' hearts swelled with emotion. Ancient sword cultivators were utterly captivated. Many recognized the true nature of Xu Xiaoshou's sword at a glance: using the sword to manifest the infinite, defining it as a formation, creating a path to the underworld, and summoning the Ghost Gate!

*Boom!* As the nine swords settled in the void, beneath the triple heavens and beside Crying Blood Saha, a gloomy and chilling Hell Gate rose majestically. Its colossal gates, incredibly heavy and bound by black iron chains, creaked open with a *thud* as the Limit Giant traced a gesture with its sword-finger.

*Woo! Woo! Woo!* Yin ghosts and malevolent spirits howled as they surged forth. The spirits of the dead from both realms, swept up and slain in this battle, seemed to find their ultimate resting place, merging into the translucent, illusory army.

"This..." Beneath the triple heavens, Beihai’s will could no longer articulate a complete sound. Yet, he fully grasped Xu Xiaoshou’s intention at that moment: this man wanted to enter the Way of the Hungry Ghost. He sought to defy destiny!

"Die..." The Three Days Soul Translocation Array spiraled into complete disarray. Beihai’s will, utterly deranged, manifested three more beams of destructive light from within the array, sending them hurtling towards Crying Blood Saha.

Crying Blood Saha shattered with a *boom*, leaving not a single trace. *Pfft!* Lei Xi'er, like a kite with a severed string, arced through the sky and hurtled towards the Limit Giant behind her.

"Meow," mewed Greed God. It remembered the aura of this mistress; in the Yuan Mansion world, she had given it many delicious things, all rich in life spiritual energy. At this moment, the chubby feline began to repay its benefactor, swiftly leaping forward, opening its mouth to engulf its mistress, then quickly returning to its master's side, narrowly avoiding the direct impact of the destructive light.

*Swish!* The destructive light pierced through its confines, two beams striking the Hell Gate, and one slamming into the Limit Giant. The situation seemed on the verge of spiraling out of control.

*Hum.* Just then, high above, another profound formation materialized. Space began to ripple, and worlds began to fold. The destructive light, which was clearly about to strike the Hell Gate and the Limit Giant, now seemed to halt, an inch becoming a thousand miles, unable to advance further!

"Why?!" Beihai’s will utterly erupted. Another profound formation? Another individual attempting to provoke a Saint Emperor? Has this world gone mad? Are profound formations so common now? Xu Xiaoshou conjured so many, and now another one, so brilliant, has appeared?

"What happened..." The crowd below was equally perplexed. Those three beams of destructive light had actually been blocked by spatial folding?

"No!" "This isn't ordinary spatial folding!" "Countless abandoned worlds are stacked within this; this is world folding... This newcomer is attempting to counteract the Saint Emperor's power using countless lifeless worlds!" "Who?" "Who is this, again?" "Spatial profoundness... I believe there's only one such person in this era, right?"

Far away in the Qilin Realm, even the Orange-Clad Man, Heaven and Man's Five Decays, was momentarily stunned, assuming it was Chief Huang Quan who had entered the fray. The very next second, he realized it wasn't. The newcomer was someone else entirely!

"Sigh," sighed the white-haired Daoist boy, Ye Xiaotian, as he appeared on the battlefield, his expression utterly complex. How could he describe it? He had anticipated that Ba Zun'an might trick him. He had also expected Xu Xiaoshou's opponents to be several times stronger than that fellow. But he had never, ever imagined that this pair could be so utterly preposterous! One had called him to fight a Saint Emperor! The other was *literally* confronting a Saint Emperor at this very moment! This was, damn it, the greatest farce and most preposterous absurdity under heaven!

"What virtues and abilities do I possess?" "I am merely a humble Tai Xu cultivator; I don't have ancestral origin power. I've only just perfected spatial profoundness. I want to flourish; I want to become a flower..." "My life is over!" Ye Xiaotian was on the verge of collapsing. Why was it that every time he intended to make a dramatic entrance, the battles he found himself in became so incredibly difficult? Why?!

"Hold on," urged Old Ancestor Wuji, who, wearing Liu Changqing's skin and having also been summoned by Ba Zun'an, merely glanced up after landing before drawing open a curtain of heavenly secrets to conceal himself. Indeed, he was a Half-Saint, Xuan Wuji. Yet, he was also an incredibly fragile Heavenly Secret術士. While effective behind the scenes, directly entering the battlefield, his contribution might even be less significant than that of Tai Xu, Profoundness, Ye Xiaotian.

"Die..." Beihai's will seemed on the verge of assimilating with the Saint Dao, leaving only this single, unyielding obsession. He was so frenzied that he indiscriminately targeted anyone who dared to enter the fray, be it Lei Xi'er, Ye Xiaotian, or even the then-hidden Xuan Wuji.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!* The Three Days Soul Translocation Array moved in sync with the Saint Emperor's will, and the outer triple heavens completely collapsed. Now, only a raw, utterly unstable, vast spatial tunnel remained within, leading to a profound sorrow. The shattered outer layer, coalescing the most extreme Saint Emperor power, transformed into dozens of destructive light beams, which then blasted towards everyone in the world below.

"He's mad!" "The Saint Emperor has gone mad!" Everyone in both the Qilin Realm and the Central Yuan Realm felt their scalps prickle with dread. Indeed, the Saint Emperor had lost his mind and begun indiscriminate attacks. And once a Saint Emperor loses his sanity and control, the repercussions are undeniably catastrophic.

*Whoosh...* Ye Xiaotian gazed at the meteor shower raining down from the sky, his face shadowed by the grey light. He exhaled a long, heavy breath. The next instant, his hair bun unraveled, his white hair shot skyward, and his aura forcefully pierced the clouds.

"I am the Lord of Ten Thousand Worlds!" Ye Xiaotian's eyes were bloodshot as he plunged his hand into the firmament. At this moment, the heavens and earth shifted. Between the destructive light descending from above and him, it was as if ten thousand worlds stood as a barrier.

"Breaking Heaven Hand!" Ye Xiaotian forcibly tore, peeled away, and ripped out an entire realm's worth of dark sky from the Central Yuan Realm, then swallowed the fragments of the firmament he held. A mustard seed holding Mount Sumeru, space consuming space.

"Ah..." "This..." The entire population of the Central Yuan Realm plunged into utter chaos, feeling as though the sky was truly collapsing at that very moment. They had assumed the Qilin Realm was the primary battlefield. They never imagined that the apocalypse would ultimately descend upon the Central Yuan Realm!

The sky above had become a bottomless black hole. Endless spatial blades and spatial storms howled downwards, poised to fall like the destructive light and obliterate the realm. At this moment of impending annihilation, the people of the Central Yuan Realm were helpless, but an unusual sound once again erupted in their ears: "Today, the master of this realm shall be Ye Ming!" Looking up, they saw a small, white-haired Daoist boy, his hair dancing wildly, a Half-Saint status manifesting above his head. After forming a single seal with his hands, he forcefully pushed upwards against the sky.

*Boom!* Saint Tribulation descended.

*Boom!* The endless spatial blades, spatial storms, and destructive light were all held aloft by Ye Xiaotian’s formidable exertion!

*Hiss...* Those below were all utterly horrified. The sky was collapsing, and the short one was holding it up?

"Xu! Xiao! Shou!" Ye Xiaotian’s face flushed crimson, his entire body trembling with rage. What am I? How dare I?! By what right, what confidence, do I dare to achieve Sainthood under a Saint Emperor's attack? Oh, and not just achieve Sainthood, but also forcibly resist a realm's storm, all just to buy that brat more time? What is his name, anyway?! "Xu Xiaoshou, if you don't snap out of it soon, I genuinely can't hold on much longer..."

Heavenly Tribulation crashed down, and Ye Xiaotian spurted blood. Yet, the spatial profoundness beneath his feet transformed into the purest light. Above one realm, myriad worlds were born, named myriad, then manifesting myriad more... As the Saint Tribulation descended, and the storm arrived, Ye Xiaotian’s body radiated a dazzling aura of Dao rhythm. The profound formation beneath his feet grew increasingly luminous. He was not only enduring the tribulation but had also begun to experience an epiphany *during* it!

"Storms, too, can be wielded by me..." "Shattered currents, they ought to be mine..." Ye Xiaotian's eyes snapped open, ending his momentary epiphany as his spatial profoundness permeated the fragmented spatial currents. Instantly, the spatial blades and storms that had been descending upon him, along with the resistance of myriad worlds, inexplicably reversed course and slammed back towards the destructive light!

"It's done!" Ye Xiaotian rejoiced. Yet, he was keenly aware of his own limitations. Even if he could hold on for a moment, he couldn't hold on indefinitely. Furthermore, being unskilled in the Way of the Soul, he was utterly helpless against the Saint Emperor's will.

"Xu Xiaoshou, hurry!" It wasn't enough! Far from enough!

The Limit Giant, though immersed in the world of sword art, could still perceive the external situation through its senses. It was precisely because of Dean's intervention that he gained more precious breathing room, allowing him to further imitate Mr. Si Ren's sword strikes.

"This sword art is named 'Ghost'..." As the storm of myriad worlds resisted the Saint Emperor's destructive light, Daoist chants suddenly reverberated through heaven and earth once more. At this moment, the Hell Gate stirred, and the sinister hundred ghosts began to materialize. Countless onlookers turned their heads, feeling overwhelmed. The battle surged in continuous waves, making it impossible to tell who the central figure truly was. But the next instant, a chillingly solemn voice informed them exactly who possessed the power to resolve the current crisis!

"The Way of the Ghost: yin and yang as barriers, the Prison Gate fixed. Today, my sword opens the gate, and a hundred ghosts shall walk at night."

With a *buzz*, the Hell Gate fully opened. From within, the hundred ghosts materialized, revealing their physical forms. The world had already plunged into complete darkness, making any celestial phenomenon for the night parade of a hundred ghosts unnecessary. Everyone in the Central Yuan Realm felt a chill creep down their spines, as if they were once again in the previous Senluo Realm.

"Woooo..." The wailing of specters and vengeful spirits became secondary. As the Hell Gate fully materialized, the Limit Giant's jaw dropped open, and several soul-enhancing holy medicines appeared in its mouth, quickly digested.

"Illusory and real..." "Spirit and flesh..." The Sword Dao disk beneath his feet transformed into a Spirit Dao disk. The Limit Giant opened its eyes, clearly perceiving all the spirits in every being and object across heaven and earth — this was his signal to shift forms, another wave of the world's blessings he had received in the past.

"Hungry! Ghost! Dao!" The Limit Giant did not hesitate. He couldn't even utter a sound, let alone leap into the Hell Gate. The only thing he could do was gather his last reserves of energy, lift his right arm, and slowly, deliberately, extend it into the Hell Gate. Slow, yet unwavering...

"No..." Beihai's will almost dissipated, leaving only struggling defiance and resentment in the heavens and earth, unable to form a complete sound. He was unwilling! He had come so far! The Divine Demonic Eye stopped him, spatial profoundness stopped him. Now, the Way of the Hungry Ghost was about to materialize—what Xu Xiaoshou truly desired was to completely annihilate him!

*Rumble...* In a mere instant, under profound silence, a colossal, sky-spanning hungry ghost hand forcefully emerged from the Hell Gate. It was dark greenish, covered in festering sores, oozing pus and sickening to behold, marred by countless calluses and bristling with tentacles... Yet, this very hungry ghost arm, upon emerging from the Hell Gate, shed its previous frail Limit Giant appearance, its movements becoming astonishingly swift. It clenched into a fist, a colossal fist that could nearly blot out the sky. It tore through the spatial storm, bypassed Ye Xiaotian's myriad-world barrier, and even pierced the Saint Tribulation. It slammed into the remnants of Beihai’s soul, subtly hidden within the Soul Dao and the Saint Dao in the Limit Giant's eyes, as well as Beihai's manifested will, which the Falling Blossom Realm had unearthed and solidified, integrating it into the Saint Dao.

All things converged into a single punch. At this moment, the world held its breath. Xu Xiaoshou, however, remained utterly calm, like a lifeless figure, devoid of any emotional ripple: "When the underworld is not enraged, the fist, too, shall reach the netherworld."