Chapter 1539: The Frog at the Bottom of the Well Croaks in Distress, Evil Arrow Slays the Saint and Shoots the Moon Palace

At this moment, Dao Xuanji couldn't quite figure out if Ai Cangsheng truly didn't believe her or was just pretending to be oblivious.

If the one who returned had been Yue Gongli, she swore she wouldn't say a single extra word.

But Ai Cangsheng...

She had no beef with him.

Even if he was close to Dao Qiong Cang and wanted to stand up for him, it wouldn't make sense for him to completely burn bridges with her over something like this.

They were both from Shengshen Diantang, both held high positions, and both knew that some things were unavoidable.

He should understand that he couldn't kill her.

Because of "Dao"!

But the Ten Zun Seats were unpredictable, and there were too many impulsive people among them. So even though Dao Xuanji shared the Dao surname, facing this arrow aimed at her head, she was truly afraid.

There was no room for error anymore.

She had already been cut down twice by Xu Xiaoshou, and if she died once more...

If all three Half Saint incarnations were destroyed, she'd have no choice but to sit in the position of Shengshen Diantang's Grand Hall Master with her true body, which would be no different from exposing herself naked to the world. What a disaster that would be!

One wrong move, and she'd drop dead on the spot!

Dao Xuanji didn't dare speak another word, afraid that any provocation might make Ai Cangsheng's hand tremble.

She raised her hands above her head, signaling that she posed no threat and had no intention of resisting, while glancing sideways at Yu Lao.

"Calm down! Calm down!"

Yu Lao jumped up from his chair, no longer content to watch from the sidelines.

The look in Dao Xuanji's eyes was as if she wanted to skin him alive. If he kept staring, he'd surely face retribution later.

"She could be Dao boy in disguise, but I certainly couldn't be, right? You can trust me on that?" Yu Lao chuckled, pulling out his signature large fishing rod and rolling up his pant leg to wiggle his toes.

"Yes, Ai Cangsheng, this palace can vouch for her—she's not Dao Qiong Cang." Jiu Ji Shen Shi finally found an opening to speak, lifting her foot slightly before setting it back down.

Advice was one thing, but when the Evil Sin Bow was drawn to full, Yu Lao had no desire to step forward as a shield, and Jiu Ji Shen Shi didn't dare get any closer.

The person closest to Ai Cangsheng in the hall was still that pile of mangled flesh beside the wheelchair.

The flesh twitched slightly, an eye glancing upward, not even daring to groan, wisely going still.

Sheng Huan Hall fell into a hushed silence, with people lying on the floor or embedded in the walls, their heartbeats thundering like war drums, not daring to move an inch.

Ai Cangsheng glanced at Yu Lao, and the Evil Sin Bow relaxed slightly.

"Hah..."

Dao Xuanji let out a soft breath of relief, her hands starting to lower.

"Buzz!"

Ripples spread through the space.

The bow that had seemed about to release was pulled even tighter!

"Calm down! Calm down!"

Dao Xuanji's hands were forced up again by an invisible force, while Yu Lao felt a chill run down his spine and quickly backed away.

He didn't dare say more nonsense. With a surge of his robes, holy power erupted.

"Woo—"

The peak of Gui Zhe Sheng Mountain darkened.

A Kun's roar echoed from south to north, as if an invisible behemoth was pressing over Sheng Huan Hall, kicking up debris and dust.

Once the pressure passed and the waves calmed, Yu Lao patted his chest and swore earnestly, "Anyway, I'm the Kun Peng Shen Shi, I'm Yu Lao—this, you have to believe me, because Dao boy couldn't imitate me."

Then he turned to Dao Xuanji: "And I can vouch for her—she wasn't lying just now... but if you still don't believe me, then I won't vouch anymore."

The young people in the hall were stunned by his words.

What kind of talk was that?

Whether Yu Lao was human was debatable, but that line was definitely not!

"You..."

Dao Xuanji's face turned a bit green.

She didn't dare rely on Yu Lao anymore—this guy was completely useless!

"Put the bow down first, and let's talk this out properly." Dao Xuanji had no choice but to back down.

"Yes, she's already been cut down twice by Xu Xiaoshou—if you shoot another arrow, she'll be gone for good." Yu Lao chimed in at the right moment.

Dao Xuanji nearly choked on her anger.

But oddly enough, Yu Lao's words worked. Ai Cangsheng spoke up, "You've lost two Half Saint incarnations to Xu Xiaoshou? This isn't some joke?"

For a moment, Dao Xuanji didn't know how to respond, her face flushing between pale and red. "It's a long story..."

"I'm asking for the result."

Dao Xuanji couldn't hold it together, her face reddening as her voice weakened: "Yes..."

As soon as she finished, she quickly changed the subject, "Put the bow down first."

But Ai Cangsheng not only kept the bow drawn but also channeled some Evil God power into the arrow.

With a "buzz," the entire Sheng Huan Hall began to hum and tremble, as if it couldn't bear the strain.

Jiang Na Yi felt utterly helpless.

He desperately wanted to swallow a Rebirth Pill and get out of there, but he didn't dare move an inch!

"What do you mean by this?"

Dao Xuanji's expression turned cold. From the start, she'd been targeted by this arrow with everyone in Sheng Huan Hall watching—was she supposed to lose face over it?

Ai Cangsheng kept the bow drawn, his smile cold and unyielding:

"If you're Dao Qiong Cang and this is a joke, apologize now, and I can put the arrow down."

"If you're Dao Xuanji and everything you said was true, even to the point of being cut down twice by Xu Xiaoshou..."

He paused, shaking his head slightly, his expression laced with disbelief, "Do you know how grave your sins are?"

"This isn't the time to discuss that..." Dao Xuanji took a step forward, gesturing with her hand, "Put the bow down, and we'll talk everything out."

"Talk?" Ai Cangsheng raised the Evil Sin Bow slightly, halting Dao Xuanji's advance, his eyes suddenly flashing with fierce killing intent as he thundered:

"Teng Wu Yue brought back a Wuxiu and had to sever an arm."

"Rao Yao Yao sacrificed the heads of various departments and gave her life for the cause."

"Now, I just went into the Zhan Shen Guan ruins, and upon returning, you tell me you've lost Yujing City—what should your punishment be!"

With a thunderous boom, the black-red Evil Sin power surged from the bow, silencing Sheng Huan Hall completely, where even a pin drop could be heard.

The young people were terrified to their core, keeping their heads down, not daring to look.

It was over...

The thin veil had been pierced...

Yu Lao looked at Dao Xuanji's face, now as dark as charcoal, and sighed before speaking: "In my opinion..."

"Shut up!" Ai Cangsheng swung the Evil Sin Bow around.

Yu Lao jumped as if scalded, leaping in place before crouching with his arms over his head, "Not saying it, not saying it."

"Ai..."

Jiu Ji Shen Shi hadn't finished her sentence when the fully formed arrow from the Evil Sin Bow locked onto her. She opened her mouth slightly.

Ai Cangsheng nodded his chin to the side.

Jiu Ji Shen Shi had no choice but to retreat to a corner, murmuring bitterly, "Don't fight..."

"Dao Xuanji."

The arrow targeted the main person, and Ai Cangsheng's expression returned to calm, "Give me a reason to put down the Evil Sin Bow."

His indifferent words echoed through the hall.

Xi Xinfa shuddered, recalling the scene when he first met Shen Yi, when that man had lifted him up.

Did Ai Cangsheng really dare?

None of the Ten Zun Seats were cowards, were they?

That was Xuanji Hall Master, and she even shared the Dao surname—yet no face was given; it was a direct confrontation?

Dao Xuanji swallowed hard. Ai Cangsheng's killing intent seemed real. She tried to stay composed as she said:

"This hall is now the Hall Master—this reason enough?"

"Not enough." Ai Cangsheng lowered his eyelids, his eyes darkening.

Dao Xuanji took a deep breath and glanced at Bei Bei.

In that instant, Bei Bei's heart sank!

Was Xuanji Hall Master going to sell her out?

Back then, I didn't dare agree to that bet—it was a voice that told me to, and it was you!

Bei Bei even considered stepping out from behind the pillar, but she didn't dare. Compared to Xuanji Hall Master, Ai Cangsheng was even more terrifying right now!

Dao Xuanji wasn't about to pin the blame on the young one. She just glanced once before turning her gaze back to the arrow of the Evil Sin Bow.

Suddenly, she relaxed completely and laughed it off.

Did Ai Cangsheng really dare to loose that arrow?!

"Regardless of right or wrong, this hall is the Hall Master, and below the Heavenly Ladder, I am supreme."

"With the situation urgent, you're under Shengshen Diantang and a member of the Ten-Person Council—you should unite against external threats, not act impulsively."

"So, put the bow down!"

Dao Xuanji toughened up!

This was basically saying outright that while the Three Emperors held great power, they were always one step below, their position lower than the Hall Master's—they had to follow orders!

Yu Lao, hearing this, stared wide-eyed at this newly appointed Three Emperor and Hall Master, who hadn't yet figured out her subordinates' temperaments...

He thought it was bad news and quickly dropped his playful act, adopting a serious expression to speak up.

"Yu Lao, stand down."

Ai Cangsheng stared at Dao Xuanji without turning his head, and he laughed too.

In that moment, everyone in the hall wondered if his laughter was out of respect or command.

Yu Lao panicked.

When Ai Cangsheng told him to "shut up," he could do it.

But when this guy suddenly switched to a title of respect, he didn't dare "stand down" at all. Instead, he lunged forward, trying to block Dao Xuanji...

The dome of Sheng Huan Hall suddenly shattered.

At the peak of Gui Zhe Sheng Mountain, a black-red Evil Sin stream erupted like a volcano.

"Buzz."

The mountain-protecting array activated.

In an instant, it swallowed up the rampaging force completely.

"What's happening?"

"What's going on?"

"Evil Sin power—has Lord Cangsheng returned?"

The guards saw the anomaly at the mountaintop and were overjoyed. "Great, the situation is stable now!"

Silence!

Dead silence!

With the dome destroyed, Sheng Huan Hall was no longer just suffering from damaged floors and beams—the hall's heavenly array had completely collapsed, revealing crumbling, cracked walls.

Yu Lao stared at the arrow embedded in the floor just half a step in front of him, which dissolved into black-red Evil Sin power and vanished. His body jolted.

"What a mess..." He sighed, pressing his forehead, and stepped back.

Jiu Ji Shen Shi furrowed her brows deeply, clutching her skirt so tightly it twisted around her fingers, murmuring nervously, "Don't fight..."

But with an arrow already shot, how could there be room for negotiation?

Dao Xuanji's body shook violently, staring in disbelief as the arrow dissipated into mist. She stepped forward fiercely, demanding:

"Ai Cangsheng! Are you rebelling?"

"With enemies at the gate, you dare attack Yu Lao inside Sheng Huan Hall?!"

He didn't, he hadn't—you shouldn't say that... Yu Lao nearly jumped up to defend himself, but after opening his mouth, he only blew out a bubble and said nothing.

Dao Xuanji hadn't taken two steps when the Evil Sin Bow was drawn again, forcing her to stop and hold her tongue under the arrow's sharp edge.

"From the beginning, I didn't want to communicate with you all..."

Ai Cangsheng muttered hoarsely to himself, his indifferent eyes melting away the last trace of irritation, turning into stagnant dead water with no further ripples.

He desperately hoped that Dao Qiong Cang would jump in from the door right now, chuckle twice, and say:

"Just a joke."

It probably wasn't.

He probably just had to waste more words with this group of people whose minds couldn't keep up.

He kept the Evil Sin Bow fully drawn, rudely aiming at Dao Xuanji's head, his eyes utterly empty.

He stopped asking questions and just spoke to himself, as if telling a story:

"Dao Qiong Cang tricked me into the Zhan Shen Guan ruins... Well, actually, now it's fine to call it the Ran Ming ruins—I already went in once, so no second chance."

"He knew I wouldn't leave Shengshen Diantang, so he deceived me into doing something that didn't align with my true wishes."

"Because when he invited me to Gui Zhe Sheng Mountain back then, he said this: You watch my back, I'll handle the front—we team up, unbeatable in the world."

He paused, his empty eyes gazing toward the sky of Sheng Huan Hall, "I've been watching for over thirty years..."

Xi, Bei Bei, and others peeked half their heads from behind the pillar—maybe the atmosphere wasn't so tense anymore?

Dao Xuanji opened her mouth but said nothing in the end.

She really couldn't understand what Ai Cangsheng was saying, and he probably wasn't finished...

"Thirty years straight, without closing my eyes for a moment, because I'm protecting the world's people."

"He tricked me into the ruins during that time, so I don't know what disasters befell the Five Domains. Even so, I know his intent."

"Zhan Shen Guan, or Ran Ming—it's the realm of the Ten Ancestors... As long as you enter the ruins and gather eighteen Divine Fate Stars, you can obtain the Ancestral God Fate."

"He didn't dare take the risk, and of course, the Ancestral God Fate couldn't fall into the hands of the major dark forces, especially the Sheng Nu—so, I took the risk."

"Also, once I get the Ancestral God Fate, no matter what chaos hits the Five Domains upon my return, I can suppress it with a single hand."

Ai Cangsheng looked at the sky through the hole in Sheng Huan Hall and finally lowered his head, gazing at the biggest frog in this well, saying calmly:

"It's gone."

Xi felt a chill at the back of his head.

He didn't fully understand.

But what Lord Cangsheng meant was clearly not that his story was over—it was that something very important to him was gone...

"What do you mean?" Dao Xuanji frowned, no longer insisting that Ai Cangsheng lower the bow—just let him aim for now.

"I said, it's gone."

"What's gone?"

"Everything's gone."

Dao Xuanji couldn't take it anymore, "Speak clearly!"

With the bow like a full moon and the arrow on the string, Ai Cangsheng almost wanted to release it, but looking at this sister whose mind wasn't quite sharp, he found it amusing instead.

"Still don't get it?" He raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "While you were fighting for power on Gui Zhe Sheng Mountain, a group was plotting to become gods and ancestors."

"When you finally seized the Hall Master position but lost two bodies to others, that group started moving, vying for gods and ancestors."

"I could either not enter the Ran Ming ruins and wait until the Ancestral God Fate was about to be taken, then decide whether to shatter the ruins or go in and shatter that person."

"Or I could enter directly, so Shen Yi, Cao Yihan, Ba Zun An, Kong Yu Hen, including Bei Huai... even if I don't get it, none of them can succeed."

He smiled, looking at this extraordinarily capable sister, and continued:

"I was halfway in when you called me out, saying Gui Zhe Sheng Mountain had changed hands and it was the Hall Master's order."

"I thought the Hall Master had some brilliant plan, letting me enter and then calling me out midway. Turns out, 'Hall Master' means this now."

"When I came back, I thought you were joking—Yujing City gone, Half Saints dead... how absurd? Now, I'm almost hoping the joke is real, that you're still Dao Qiong Cang messing with me. And you really are messing with me."

"Fine, now you think I'm joking too, that my Evil Sin Bow is just a toy... Go ahead, keep thinking that."

Ai Cangsheng tightened the string of the Evil Sin Bow, aiming at the nearby Dao Xuanji, and closed his left eye.

Whoosh...

Evil Sin energy coiled and gathered.

The Evil God power compressed wildly.

In an instant, everyone in Sheng Huan Hall felt their scalps tingle. Dao Xuanji was so startled she stepped back: "Ai Cangsheng, what are you trying to do!"

"Cangsheng..." Jiu Ji Shen Shi had just lifted her foot.

Snap!!!

The entire Sheng Huan Hall shattered.

An arrow nailed down right in front of her feet.

"Ai Cangsheng, listen to this old one..." Yu Lao was so frightened he leaped up, but as soon as he looked up.

Snap!!!

The space above resisted, and that terrifying arrow, carrying Ancestral Source power, embedded itself in midair without collapsing the space.

The arrow wobbled, vibrating right above his forehead, and Yu Lao's soles went cold.

Too fast!

Whether it was Jiu Ji Shen Shi or Dao Xuanji, let alone the young people around, no one saw when Ai Cangsheng had turned and released the arrow...

But if anyone moved, the arrows would nail feet or heads, blocking all actions.

A long time ago, Xi thought Lord Cangsheng was a bowman, strong at range but weak in close combat.

Now, Xi realized he was wrong.

Not about bowmen, but about underestimating the Ten Zun Seats.

How could this be just a ranged shooter?

In close combat, since Lord Cangsheng could fight Shen Yi, he certainly had no weaknesses!

Dao Xuanji panicked.

She had thought Ai Cangsheng was joking.

Only now, after he finished speaking, did she finally understand why he always had that aloof demeanor of someone too lazy to talk.

What she was thinking and what he was thinking... were on completely different levels!

"The Ancestral God Fate?"

Dao Xuanji backed away while waving her hands, saying, "Actually, the Ancestral God Fate and the Five Great Sheng Emperor families..."

"It's not there." The arrow on Ai Cangsheng's string vibrated.

Dao Xuanji's face turned deathly pale as she blurted out: "Even if you've withdrawn from the Zhan Shen Guan ruins..."

"They haven't come out yet; those who haven't gone in can still enter." Ai Cangsheng's bow overflowed with blood-red energy.

Dao Xuanji shook her head frantically: "There must still be a chance, just like you said..."

"Yes, one chance. If I call out to Ran Ming again, it won't let me in." The bow shook, the string tensed, its edge fully exposed!

Dao Xuanji was on the verge of breaking, racking her brain but unable to come up with another word, her voice harsh and desperate: "Ai Cangsheng! With enemies at the gates! You're going to kill the Hall Master first?"

"Internal threats must be eliminated before external ones. 'Dao Qiong Cang has to go for me to rise'—wasn't that your mindset back then?"

"You're out of line! This hall is the current Hall Master of Shengshen Diantang—you're just one of the Three Emperors, an outsider by race. By law, you should obey my orders! Put the bow down!"

"This emperor obeys commands but not proclamations."

"I am a descendant of the Sheng Emperor Dao clan. Ai Cangsheng, dare to touch me and see?!"

As soon as she said this, Yu Lao and Jiu Ji Shen Shi's expressions changed in horror.

Ai Cangsheng's lips curled up.

"Apologies."

Snap!!!

The air in Sheng Huan Hall shook.

In the shocked gazes of Xi and the others, the black-red arrow from the Evil Sin Bow pierced through space in an instant, shooting toward Dao Xuanji, who had retreated to the back of the hall...

"Screech—"

A timely cry of a great peng rang out as Yu Lao leaped forward, wings spreading on his back and hands turning into golden claws, clamping down desperately on that Evil Sin arrow!

Boom boom boom boom boom...

His body smashed into Dao Xuanji, blasting them from Sheng Huan Hall into space, then into the back mountain, piercing through a black hole and emerging from the other side of the void.

"Run!!!"

Yu Lao couldn't hold it back and screamed hysterically.

Dao Xuanji's hair was completely disheveled, her face a mess. After crawling up from the void, she realized her chest bones had been shattered by the peng's wings.

She turned back in slight bewilderment, looking toward Sheng Huan Hall in the distance.

Black-red lightning swept through the gui fragrance.

As snowflakes drifted lightly, the second Evil Sin arrow was already upon her. Dao Xuanji's pupils were completely filled with the color she loved most—profound black.

Her divine soul trembled uncontrollably.

"No!!!"

The Jiu Ji Gui shot up into the sky.

Its branches couldn't contain the arrow infused with Evil God power, so it used its trunk to block.

Boom boom boom boom boom...

But in just a moment, that terrifying arrow carried the Jiu Ji Gui's main body flying through space before embedding heavily into the mountain-protecting array of Gui Zhe Sheng Mountain.

"Buzz!"

The array lit up.

Dao Xuanji's eyes lit up too, remembering something.

"Heavenly Mechanism Three..."

Before she could finish, a spatial rift opened in her chest, and a black-red arrow tip emerged.

What precise control of power!

Dao Xuanji hadn't even sensed any anomaly in the space an inch in front of her before it appeared.

The arrow pierced her chest, the sound following after.

Dao Xuanji's chest exploded completely, her head flying off, her pupils filled with utter disbelief and terror.

"No—no..."

She could no longer think.

She never imagined that if she didn't die at Xu Xiaoshou's hands, she'd be killed by Ai Cangsheng.

"The ruins!!!"

From the distant sky came Yu Lao's heart-wrenching cry.

Dao Xuanji suddenly remembered something. Her spinning, flying head opened wide:

"Ran..."

As soon as the word left her mouth, the arrow sealed her throat.