Chapter 1440: The Nobles' Martial Arts Are Inferior, Yin and Yang Separate Human Souls Differently

"Xu... Xiao... Shou..."

When Dongdong's lips parted and a male voice emerged, everyone was stunned.

Zhu Yike's slave scroll did not crush her to death. Instead, a dazzling scroll of starlight unfurled from beneath Dongdong's feet.

The surging divine power not only pulverized the Ugly Pig Beast Hide Shop and blasted away those inside, but also leveled several surrounding streets. The shops lining them were destroyed, and pedestrians on the streets vanished without a trace.

This mundane place, where even an earthquake would cause terror, now manifested the power of a Half-Saint, a force previously only found in the Spirit Refining World. The Spirit Refining Battlefield and the mortal world were suddenly clearly separated!

"Dao, Qiong, Cang!"

Li Fugui, Zhu Yike, Aunt Xiang, and A'Yao all recognized the newcomer's identity from the brilliant celestial scroll and the omnipresent Heavenly Dao principles.

But Dao Qiongcang's appearance seemed peculiar. He had not personally arrived, because the one causing this current phenomenon... was Dongdong!

"No...""I...""Argh!"

Dongdong's expression was a mix of struggle, madness, and distortion. She seemed to want to say something, her delicate body twisting into a grotesque shape, but in the end, no words came out.

Her body faced forward, but her head was twisted around to face backward. Her gaze lost focus, looking at Aunt Xiang, yet also seemingly looking back at herself. Tears streamed from her eyes, but at the same time, countless ancient characters flashed within them.

"...Deity... Descent..."

As this intermittent, indistinct sound emerged, with a hum, the celestial scroll fully materialized, and a Sacred Domain took shape. Space and principles seemed to be cut off outside this Sacred Domain.

Dongdong stopped trembling. A smile appeared on her face, and Heavenly Dao principles and starlight began to 'walk out' from within her. Yes, literally "walk out"! The wildly swirling patterns quickly coalesced into a blurry human figure, stepping out from Dongdong's body.

As he stepped from illusion into reality... He solidified!

—Dao Qiongcang held a compass, adorned with a jade crown and brocade robe, appearing like a celestial deity with an otherworldly aura.

"Pfft!"

Behind him, Dongdong suddenly transformed into countless ancient characters, and with a gust of wind, vanished into nothingness.

Aunt Xiang was startled. A'Yao's eyes welled with tears, and she fell to the ground, covering her mouth and losing control of her bladder. Li Fugui felt his scalp tingle and his calves began to tremble. With his knowledge, he couldn't discern what kind of ability this was.

"Ghost beast parasitism, body possession, or something else?" Zhu Yike appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly, he frantically called out Master Shou's name: "Master Shou, save me!!!"

How did Dao Qiongcang get out? He had only just crushed the slave scroll; how did Dao Qiongcang walk out of Dongdong's body? Even the various sinister arts of the Southern Domain's Land of Sin couldn't create such a terrifying scene!

"Uh uh uh..."

The old shopkeeper, played by Li Fugui, also collapsed to the ground, his knees shaking, speechless with terror. When he realized his current identity was that of an ordinary person, he had no thought of resistance, wishing only to remain an ordinary man and seek peace.

Upon seeing A'Yao lose control of her bladder, Li Fugui quickly followed suit. As clever as Li Fugui was, at that moment, he was so panicked he almost forgot... When Dao Qiongcang descended, he had cleared the streets of pedestrians to create a battlefield. Therefore, the reason he remained there was obvious.

Li Fugui hadn't considered this; he was just helpless. This Zhu Yike not only brought Dao Qiongcang but also took Master Shou away at a crucial moment. If Master Shou had been parasitic on him right now, he would at least have had some confidence...

"Don't panic. Hold him off for a bit, just a little time." The highly anticipated Master Shou, though actually more panicked at the moment, instinctively instructed Zhu Yike without hesitation.

He hadn't forgotten that Dongdong's first words before dissolving into ancient characters were his name, spoken in Dao Qiongcang's voice. Did that mean Dao Qiongcang knew he was here? But how was that possible? This wisp of his spiritual thought came from the Apricot Realm, transferred from Li Fugui, and hadn't even touched the air in between. How could it have been detected?

"You're the flashy old Daoist?" Zhu Yike quickly regained his composure. Because Master Shou's mental transmission was so steady, like someone unperturbed by a mountain collapsing before them. As the esteemed second-in-command of the First Tower in the Sky, Zhu Yike felt he should also be very confident. Dao Qiongcang was nothing but a mere trifle!

"You are Zhu Yike?" Dao Qiongcang flipped his fingers, revealing a three-finger-thick soft brassiere, and asked with a smile, "Is this yours?"

Zhu Yike raised an eyebrow and immediately spoke, "I'm very curious. I made it flawless; how did you find a flaw overnight?"

Dao Qiongcang gave him a half-smile and a glance: "Put away your curiosity."

Zhu Yike gasped. "How the hell am I supposed to respond to that? Master Shou, tell me how to answer him, how to buy time!"

Dao Qiongcang gently twirled the Heavenly Divination Compass in his hand. After a single statement, he continued to stare at Zhu Yike, speaking unhurriedly:

"I was still pondering whether there was only a fifty percent chance that Xu Xiaoshou's will, spiritual thought, or a special avatar was attached to you.""But since you're trying to buy time..."

He paused, then shifted his gaze to the old shopkeeper who had lost control of his bladder in the distance, shrugging with a smile: "In that case, you can be on your way."

Li Fugui's pupils contracted sharply. Just because Zhu Yike spoke first, Dao Qiongcang was certain Master Shou wasn't on him? What kind of logic was that! "No! I'm just a mortal now, why would he attack me..."

"Whoosh!"

No time to react. The Heavenly Divination Compass in Dao Qiongcang's hand moved, firing a beam of starlight that silenced Li Fugui's thoughts.

"Grand Annihilation Art!"

The dazzling colors were the most magnificent technique Li Fugui had ever witnessed in his life. He stood with his legs spread, his crotch wet and yellow, without even a thought of resistance. —How could a mere intelligence agent be quicker in combat awareness than a Ten Honored One?

What Li Fugui regretted now was... He shouldn't have imitated A'Yao! This made his death appear utterly undignified, as if he was humiliated and killed after being scared to pee by Dao Qiongcang.

"Steal the Heavens, Exchange the Sun!"

At the critical moment, Zhu Yike's eyebrows furrowed. He didn't even have time to reach for the stones in his pocket, instead flicking the first joint of his thumb outward with force. Blood splattered. The finger joint vanished. Unlike Dao Qiongcang, who needed to twirl the Heavenly Divination Compass, wasting a brief moment, Zhu Yike's technique didn't even require hand seals; it struck first, despite being cast later!

"Boom!"

A loud explosion. The knuckle and the ground were pulverized by the starlight of the Grand Annihilation Art. However, the foul-smelling Li Fugui appeared dazedly in Zhu Yike's hand, filled with the heart-pounding sensation of a narrow escape.

"Drip, drip, drip..."

More yellowish-brown urine seemed to trickle down, dripping from his trouser legs to the ground, and Li Fugui reeked from head to toe.

Zhu Yike turned his head away in disgust, presenting only a perfect profile, and asked in a deep, magnetic voice: "Li Fugui, am I handsome?"

Li Fugui froze for a moment, then kicked, flinging a lump of excrement at the man's face.

"Indeed, 'Steal the Heavens, Exchange the Sun'! That day, you used this very move to switch Aunt Xiang..." Dao Qiongcang's eyes lit up. As he spoke, he felt the sight in his left eye vanish, and a foul stench assaulted his mouth, abruptly halting his words.

Dao Qiongcang was stunned. He reached up and wiped his face, finding a handful of black-yellow grime in his palm. At that instant, the world fell silent.

Aunt Xiang plopped to the ground, staring at Zhu Yike in inexplicable shock, as if seeing him anew. Even Master Shou, inside Old Zhu, almost had his spiritual thought shatter. He had long known that the people of the Southern Domain were lawless, but he never imagined Zhu Yike could be so outrageous, utterly devoid of martial ethics.

—Li Fugui's foul attack didn't hit Zhu Yike; instead, an eyeball appeared in Zhu Yike's hand, and Dao Qiongcang was defiled.

"Golden Gate Stealing Art, I shall bring it honor!" Zhu Yike burst into laughter, wiping his face to reveal his original shifty-eyed appearance. He pointed at Dao Qiongcang, whose face was smeared with filth, looking like a triumphant villain... No, not *like* one, he *was* one!

Zhu Yike roared with laughter, crushing the eyeball in his hand, and declared maniacally: "If Zhu perishes today, the Golden Gate and history shall both record my grand feat — you, Dao Qiongcang, were defeated by my one technique!"

The entire scene remained silent, as if no one had yet reacted to the sudden assault.

Unexpectedly, once Dao Qiongcang recovered, he didn't show anger. Instead, he pulled out some clear water and lightly washed his face. He could still raise his head and converse casually: "No... From now on, there will be no Golden Gate in the Five Domains, nor will this incident be recorded in history."

Zhu Yike's blood ran cold. He felt the celestial scroll unfurling from beneath his feet. "Steal the Hea—" He hurriedly tried to make a move.

But at that moment, from the nine heavens, a magnificent holy voice boomed: "Kneel!!!"

Within the Sacred Domain, ten miles of street suddenly collapsed. Li Fugui felt nothing, Aunt Xiang felt nothing, A'Yao felt nothing. Zhu Yike's words were unfinished, but he felt as if the entire Guizhe Sacred Mountain had slammed onto his shoulder. The terrifying pressure descended from the sky, tearing his skin.

"Bang!"

His knees hit the ground, and his shins shattered. Zhu Yike was forced to his knees by the Grand Suppression Art. And that terrifying weight was only the beginning; a brief moment later, it forced his head to the ground, as if in atonement.

"Thud!"

When his head slammed into the ground, debris flew, and Zhu Yike felt pain overwhelm him, disfiguring his face. His eyes couldn't see, and his shattered nose blocked his airway. He even felt his spine, neck, and head were severed into three sections, likely torn apart by the oppressive force.

"Ahhhhhh—"

A desperate struggle escaped Zhu Yike's throat. Starlight surged from his body, and a faint aura of Ancestral Origin Power rose, seemingly lifting the immense pressure slightly.

"Indeed..."

Dao Qiongcang wasn't angry at all. For a warrior, his mind was like an ancient well, undisturbed; profanities could not perturb his heart, nor could pain or desire deter his will. Dao Qiongcang had already achieved this in his youth. He cared only for the details of the battle, and in his timely observation, he naturally noticed the appearance of the Ancestor of Arts' aura.

It was precisely this timing that allowed Zhu Yike to cling to a sliver of breath. He tore his sleeve, ripped off a piece of blood-soaked cloth, and vigorously threw it into the sky.

"Grand Annihilation Art!"

How could Dao Qiongcang allow the Golden Gate Stealing Art to take shape again? That technique was too difficult to guard against, not to mention Zhu Yike's casting speed was unmatched in the current era. A beam of starlight shot forth in response, aiming to pulverize the blood-soaked cloth and nip the Golden Gate technique in the bud.

"Pah!"

Zhu Yike spat out a mouthful of blood, and despite his mangled face, managed to contort it into an incredibly vivid sneer: "In front of Old Zhu, who dares to play with techniques?""Leap onto the Paper!"

In an instant, the starlight of the Grand Annihilation Art vanished, Dao Qiongcang vanished, and the entire Sacred Domain vanished. Li Fugui, Aunt Xiang, and A'Yao felt the terrifying battle aura around them completely disappear. They looked up...

Zhu Yike lay prostrate on the ground, clutching a blood-soaked cloth. Inside it, a one-eyed paper-cut figure of Dao Qiongcang peered out with a look of bewildered uncertainty. The Grand Annihilation Art, after half a day of annihilation, was still infinitely elongated within the two-dimensional space of the blood-soaked cloth, never intersecting with the outside world.

"You're that strong?!" Li Fugui rushed over in shock, frantically pulling out a Body Recovery Pill and offering it, his eyes reddening, whether from emotion or something else. When he had teamed up with Feng Xiaose and Zhu Yike on Void Island, he had felt Zhu Yike was just another ordinary evil cultivator from the Southern Domain.

Later, in Jade Capital City, when he used Zhu Yike, knowing Old Zhu's battle record in the First Sin Hall, Li Fugui thought he had some merit. At the very least, that Golden Gate Stealing Art was unseen by the world and absolutely impossible to guard against immediately.

But now! Upon seeing Old Zhu was actually strong enough to trap the Half-Saint Dao Qiongcang, even if only temporarily, Li Fugui's eyes burned with jealousy. "Both Taixu, how can he be so strong?!" "So he was just pretending to be weak all this time, not even showing his full strength?" "This is more unbearable than killing me..."

Zhu Yike, however, was in no mood for jokes. After swallowing the pill and barely repairing his damaged body, he wiped the blood from his face and said heavily: "No time left! If I had the power of the Ancestor of Arts, I would still have a fighting chance. Unfortunately, I only command the aura of the Ancestor of Arts' power..."

Looking down at the blood-soaked cloth, Zhu Yike scoffed at himself: "Right now, it's just catching Dao Qiongcang off guard; it won't trap him for long. You all escape first... No, I'll send you away."

He quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out three blood-stained stones, then suddenly froze. His gaze fixed on the blood-soaked cloth in his hand: Dao Qiongcang had actually not chosen to break the technique immediately. Instead, he sat down cross-legged with closed eyes, Daoist charm flowing around him, attempting to gently communicate with the Sacred Dao of the outside Holy God Continent from within.

"Damn it! This madman!" Zhu Yike couldn't help but curse aloud. He finally saw how vast the gap was between himself and the Ten Honored Ones! If an ordinary person were trapped by this technique, wouldn't they panic and desperately try all sorts of methods? Violent brute force, subtle self-help... All were possible! But how could anyone with a normal mind choose to sit cross-legged and cultivate within a technique, under the enemy's watchful eye?

"You'll die!" Li Fugui said, his eyes still red with jealousy, but he no longer focused on Dao Qiongcang, instead gripping the stones in Old Zhu's hand. "But you staying won't do any good," Zhu Yike replied, withdrawing his gaze. His mood, oddly, was relaxed as he pushed Old Li's hand away, knowing that this guy's combat power was on par with Dongdong's.

"But...""Don't worry, my life is tougher than steel!"

After speaking, several spatial rings appeared in Zhu Yike's palm, all belonging to Li Fugui, and quickly vanished. Li Fugui fell silent. Indeed, he and the others would only be a burden if they stayed. Master Shou was on Old Zhu... Perhaps, he had a sliver of hope?

Zhu Yike no longer hesitated. He tossed three stones into the air simultaneously, exchanging them for other stones eighty miles away, then anchored the three individuals before him. "Steal the—" He suddenly felt his thoughts flicker. A low, strange sound seemed to echo in his mind. Before the technique could fully form, Zhu Yike lowered his gaze and saw himself standing rigidly in place. Li Fugui, Aunt Xiang, and A'Yao were still waiting for the "Steal the Heavens, Exchange the Sun," unaware of their own abnormality.

This was... Zhu Yike suddenly realized his soul had left his body! But how could this be?

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

Streaks of white-clad figures streaked from the distant sky. They included both Path-Slayers and Grand Voids, and quickly formed a encirclement around the area.

At the forefront of the white-clad figures, a phantom emerged and materialized into a young man. He wore simple gray clothes, faint ghostly green swords flickered in his eyes, and a chilling, spectral aura surged around him.

He joined two fingers, held them solemnly before his chest, and his expression was extremely serious, as if facing an unparalleled foe.

"Hiss!"

Ghostly green sword energy burst from Zhu Yike's body, top and bottom.

"Hiss!"

Zhu Yike's soul, which had been controlled and separated from his body, was also pierced through from top to bottom, manifesting visible ghostly green sword energy.

"Soul Control Demonic Art: Yin-Yang Separation!"