Chapter 1554: Your deceitful schemes do not stop, the Corpse King with six marrows can give birth to children

"Ah, Ou."

"The game is over!"

As Long Rong Jie dissipated from all sides, a helpless voice emerged from Yin Ling Jiu.

At that moment, everyone realized that Xu Xiaoshou had never believed that the first person he trampled to death was Nian. He had patiently waited like a hunter in ambush until the very end, seizing the real Nian the moment she showed the slightest slip-up.

"What if Nian hadn't slipped up?"

The onlookers weren't fools. As the thought crossed their minds, they already had an answer: Xu Xiaoshou might have been willing to clear out everyone just to flush out the hidden Nian!

"Alright, you win, Xu Xiaoshou."

Yin Ling Jiu shuffled awkwardly like a stiff maggot, moving a couple of steps with a clank. Yue Gongli didn't dare come out, but applause echoed from inside:

"According to the rules, the Shen Zhi Ming Xing of Zhou Tian Can is yours now, and I won't touch it anymore."

"Of course, after you kill Nian, you can't kill me either, okay?"

"You see, it was her who tried to assassinate you earlier. I was just trying to save her, but in the end, I couldn't. Even when you were punching and kicking me just now, I didn't fight back. I'm a good... no, I'm a bad person too..."

Xu Xiaoshou sheathed his sword and quietly watched the incessantly chattering Yin Ling Jiu.

It was absurd.

The thing's defense was incredibly high.

Even the frenzied giant's swings and strikes hadn't damaged it.

According to Yue Gongli, with this in his hands, was Xu Xiaoshou destined to never break through its defense?

"Fused with multiple strands of Zu Yuan Zhi Li..."

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes flickered with intensity. After bombarding it for so long, he could detect traces of various forces on Yin Ling Jiu. Using Zu Yuan Zhi Li as defense—perhaps the only way was to transform into the ultimate giant and land a punch?

Or maybe...

The passive fist?

"The passive fist."

It had been ages since he'd thrown such an exhilarating punch, and it had built up to the point where he didn't even know what effect it would have now. Xu Xiaoshou felt an itch to test it.

At the same time, separated by the coffin, Yue Gongli seemed to sense the impending danger. His voice lost its playfulness and took on a pleading tone:

"Everyone's watching, I'm a Ban Sheng, and saints must not be humiliated. Let me go this once, okay? I really know Ba Zun An..."

The crowd stirred with unrest.

Big brother, are we still here? Is this something we should be hearing?

Won't you just silence us after Xu Xiaoshou lets you go?

"You come out first." Xu Xiaoshou suppressed the urge to punch, realizing that using the passive fist on a coffin wasn't wise.

"You promise not to hit me first..." Yue Gongli was savvy. "Then I'll come out."

"Come out first and we'll talk."

"Promise first, then I'll come out."

Xu Xiaoshou said nothing. He stepped forward, activating his explosive stance as golden specks shimmered around him.

He understood all too well what people like him feared most: two words—reckless brute!

"Wait, wait!"

The voice from Yin Ling Jiu turned frantic. "I'll come out, I'll come out! Let's talk face-to-face. Geez..."

All eyes were fixed in tense anticipation.

The gray-blue coffin trembled, then stood upright. The talisman paper on the lid lit up with red patterns full of suppressive power...

"Buzz!"

The yellow talisman's force clashed with the opening force, creating a faint, ominous wave that spread out, making everyone's hands and feet go cold as they retreated.

"There's this uneasy feeling..."

Someone clutched their chest, feeling discomfort.

Suddenly, the yellow talisman's power failed!

Yin Ling Jiu shook violently, and the lid was pushed open a crack from inside.

A thick, foul, viscous gray-blue decay surged out.

"What..."

Everyone frowned.

Before they could voice their questions, and as the lid barely opened...

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Ten black energy arcs shot from Xu Xiaoshou's fingertips, curving swiftly into the crack of Yin Ling Jiu.

Sheng·Five Finger Mark Seed Technique!

"Ah—!"

A scream erupted from the coffin: "Xu Xiaoshou, you don't play fair!"

"Go!"

Xu Xiaoshou followed up by hurling four swords into the air, jamming them into the trembling coffin before it could close, sending them inside!

The swords went in?

The crowd stared at Xu Xiaoshou in shock, chills running down their spines.

In a sealed coffin space, tossing in ten bombs capable of destroying Zui Yi Dian, plus a vicious sword that could drive non-ancient sword cultivators mad—what would the result be?

No one knew.

But one thing was clear...

The one conducting the experiment was definitely a devil!

"Xu! Xiao! Shou—!"

Yue Gongli's shriek from inside the coffin was piercing.

Everyone could see the crack in Yin Ling Jiu, obscured by thick mist, flash with brilliant light.

Even Xu Xiaoshou's gaze held a hint of expectation. "Here."

"Boom!"

It felt like everyone heard it.

But the anticipated massive explosion or the coffin shattering from within, blasting Yue Gongli out—none of it happened!

Thud.

Instead, the blast from Yin Ling Jiu sounded muffled, like it was trapped in a drum—weak, low, and deep, no louder than a stomp.

"How is that possible?"

Not just the onlookers—Xu Xiaoshou had the same thought.

Sheng·Five Finger Mark Seed Technique was even stronger than when it destroyed Zui Yi Dian's void island, enhanced with rarer Zu Yuan Zhi Li and principles.

It was the top explosive spiritual skill in Xu Xiaoshou's normal form since Sheng·Nine-Tailed Mark Seed Technique.

Even Zui Yi Dian couldn't withstand it.

Did this coffin absorb the explosive force?

Perhaps what absorbed my ten Sheng·Five Finger Mark Seed Techniques wasn't the coffin itself.

Xu Xiaoshou's mind flashed back to Yue Gongli's earlier scream during the beating: It's suppressing me.

"Ah Ou."

Just then, that irritating voice came from Yin Ling Jiu again, now laced with schadenfreude:

"I didn't want to fight, so why push it... Xu Xiaoshou, you brought this on yourself."

"Everyone, run. What's about to happen is beyond even my control."

"Maybe if you run fast, you can still save your lives."

The crowd was baffled, but then...

Crack!

The coffin lid of Yin Ling Jiu broke free, the crack widening until it slammed onto the ground with a bang.

The gray-blue coffin stood upright, its back facing Xu Xiaoshou and most of the people.

Spiritual senses couldn't penetrate it.

No one had Sheng Nian.

Only a few curious onlookers directly in front could glimpse the truth inside as the lid fell...

"Oh, screw that."

That was all that could be heard.

No one knew what happened.

Among those ten or so people, there were Tai Xu experts, but just one glance filled their eyes with terror and shock...

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!

They all exploded into starlight!

Shredded by an internal, bizarre force!

"Dammit!"

Now the crowd reacted. Whatever was inside didn't matter—what did was...

"Run, for heaven's sake!"

"What are you waiting for? To die?"

Thousands scattered like birds and beasts.

Zhou Tian Can lifted his feet and bolted, his lower body fleeing while his head glanced back at Xu Xiaoshou, wondering if he could be protected to stay and watch, mainly to learn...

"Go!"

The sharp-faced man who'd mocked the Sheng Shen Dian Tang softies earlier grabbed the one-armed kid by the waist as he passed, snapping irritably:

"It's a Sheng Zhan, big brother!"

"You're just Wang Zuo Dao Jing; if Xu Xiaoshou turns giant, he could swallow you whole and you'd dissolve!"

Shen Xing Zhi Li!

Xu Xiaoshou's heart tightened.

He saw it clearer than anyone.

Those just shredded by the mysterious force had witnessed an overwhelming amount of Shen Xing Zhi Li all at once, like facing a saint directly.

Shen Xing Zhi Li was familiar, of course—Lei Xi Er's Shen Mo Tong had it.

But she was only Wang Zuo, so unless she was desperately fighting like last time in front of Sheng Di Bei Huai, her control over the quality and quantity was low.

Compared to a Ban Sheng or Sheng Di, it was like a drop in the ocean!

Xu Xiaoshou was the same.

He possessed Tian Zu Zhi Li and Long Zu Zhi Li, even the complete Tian Zu inheritance.

But he'd only used it for extra damage or to counter other Ban Sheng's Zu Yuan Zhi Li.

Just as Sheng Li was for Ban Sheng,

Zu Yuan Zhi Li was meant for high-level Sheng Di.

Gained through surpassing levels, it was powerful against peers, but against those who could naturally master it...

It was like a genius who trained hard to fight above their level challenging the Ten Zun Zuo, who were born to do so—overreaching.

And now!

Such terrifying quality and quantity of Shen Xing Zhi Li—or more precisely, the power of one of the Ten Zu, Sheng Zu Zhi Li!

Even a glimpse was dreadful; facing such density was like staring straight at an Zu Shen...

Exploding on the spot would be the least of it.

Xu Xiaoshou even doubted if Zhan Shen Guan Ran Ming's residual power could save the spirits of those who'd burst.

Hiss...

As the foul mist billowed,

A massive pale foot stepped out of the three-zhang-tall upright coffin, sinking the ground beneath it.

Xu Xiaoshou stared fearlessly, his spirit stirring but not to the point of bursting—he'd long surpassed that.

The bloodless foot gripped the ground, straining as it pulled out the other leg and upper body with effort.

Finally, with a pop, it yanked out a giant head.

It was enormous!

This thing was incredibly bulky!

Yin Ling Jiu could hold one Yue Gongli, but cramming in this three-zhang-tall giant corpse, which was even wider, was like stuffing the Sheng Gong Si Zi and a roast goose into a tiny thatched hut—utterly cramped!

"Hah..."

The giant corpse, back to the fleeing crowd, exhaled a long breath, releasing a torrent of Sheng Zu Zhi Li that shredded the space and principles before it.

Xu Xiaoshou's right eyelid twitched rapidly.

"Goodness..."

He'd never seen Shen Xing Zhi Li so solidified, visible to the naked eye.

Just that breath contained as much Zu Yuan Zhi Li as Ai Cang Sheng's Xie Shen Shi to the Si Xiang Mi Jing.

Bang! Bang!

Before he could think more, the giant corpse stomped twice, swinging its arms in an ugly, comical turn.

Clearly, it wasn't used to this body—or rather, its limbs, torso, and head had their own ideas after being squeezed in the coffin for so long.

"Jiu Sui Shi Wang..."

Xu Xiaoshou's pupils narrowed slightly, confirming his suspicion.

The pale Shi Wang body was muscular and bare.

It lacked reproductive organs, with black-red, fang-bearing hearts the size of a normal human's, one on its face, chest, abdomen, crotch, and both sides of its ribs.

These bizarre hearts pulsed greedily, devouring the natural energy around them.

"Sui Xi Zhi Xin!"

Xu Xiaoshou recognized them.

He had one himself, though he'd left it in Xing Jie.

The confusion lay here!

His Sui Xi Zhi Xin was weak, its suction weaker than the breathing technique at Gu Yin Ya's deep sea.

But this Jiu Sui Shi Wang...

No, it was only Liu Sui!

How could it absorb his ten Sheng·Five Finger Mark Seed Techniques and exude such pressure?

And that quality and quantity of Sheng Zu Zhi Li—was it innate to Jiu Sui Shi Wang, or something else?

If innate, what level was this Shi Wang in life?

If it was the most terrifying possibility—a Sheng Zu corpse—why was it just one of the Ten Da Yi Neng Wu Qi? Why so weak?

Sheng Zu corpse? Did He die?

Xu Xiaoshou stared at the Sui Xi Zhi Xin on the Shi Wang's chest, watching it bite at the four swords with its sharp fangs, crunching on some fierce demonic energy since it couldn't get anything tastier. His mind raced with thoughts.

Bang!

Yin Ling Jiu's lid closed automatically and sealed shut, muffling Yue Gongli's voice from inside:

"Curious, aren't you, Xu Xiaoshou?"

"My Shi Wang is only Liu Sui, having lost three Sui Xi Zhi Xin, yet it's still this strong?"

"I'll tell you—this Shi Wang was refined by me, using the very Shen Xing Zhi Li you see."

Xu Xiaoshou's heart shook.

He recalled Li Fugui mentioning in a chat with his second true self the origins of Sheng Gong, noting that the original Sheng Shen Zhi Li was preserved in Sheng Shen Dian Tang and Sheng Gong.

Could it be...

Was Yue Gongli extravagant enough to use that to refine a corpse?

As his thoughts churned, Yue Gongli's incessant babble from Yin Ling Jiu continued, not just explaining but defending himself:

"You disturbed it, woke it up, so I couldn't come out. Of course, it had to go out— I can't face it from inside the coffin, can I?"

"I told you before and warned you, so it's not me wanting to hurt you or let it harm others. I've always meant well toward you."

"But now, we can't stop. You have to let it go all out, fight it until it's satisfied, exhausted, and passes out. Then I can take it back... and we can sit down and discuss cooperation."

"I won't hide it—this Shi Wang, though only Liu Sui and refined by me, far exceeds the strength of the Ten Da Yi Neng Wu Qi. As for its exact level... heh, I don't even know."

Yue Gongli grew more excited, sounding even more deranged from inside the coffin. He seemed thrilled at the prospect of Xu Xiaoshou's Jin Guang Ju Ren clashing in a brutal brawl with his Liu Sui Shi Wang!

But before he finished...

Whoosh!

In Xu Xiaoshou's Sheng Nian view, he bolted toward the Hei An Sheng Lin.

Inside Yin Ling Jiu, Yue Gongli froze, then went silent.

Ran... he ran?

Wait, how could you run?

Yue Gongli was stunned, yelling:

"Hit me then!"

"You were smashing me, beating me, flinging me around earlier—keep going!"

"My Shi Wang isn't strong; fight it, let it have its fun, or it won't go back in!"

Roar, roar, roar!

Liu Sui Shi Wang pounded its chest, as if in discomfort.

After grabbing a few times, it finally yanked the small black sword from its heart and casually tossed it at the coffin in front.

Bang!

That casual throw was devastating!

Yin Ling Jiu was hurled into a deep pit, the sword rebounding and slicing through the air.

Clang—

It transformed into a black rainbow, chasing into Hei An Sheng Lin toward its master, Xu Xiaoshou.

Everything turned chaotic!

"Roar, roar, roar!"

Shi Wang found the little flying sword intriguing.

But it was too small; lowering its head, it focused on the coffin, more suited to its frame.

It used one hand and one foot to hook and pull Yin Ling Jiu from the earth, hoisting it high...

"Wait, wait!"

Yue Gongli's voice was clearly panicked.

This scene felt oddly familiar.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!

Next, Liu Sui Shi Wang swung Yin Ling Jiu like a worshipper slamming it against the ground.

The more it smashed, the more exhilarating.

The more exhilarating, the harder it smashed.

"Roar!"

"Roar, huh, huh!"

"Roar, woo, woo—!"

Yue Gongli, inside the coffin, had his brains rattled, managing only garbled "uh, uh, ah, ah" sounds.

"Dammit!"

Finally, a curse burst out.

Liu Sui Shi Wang's body surged with dark, indigo hues, freezing it in place.

"You've got issues!"

With no one around, Yue Gongli's low scold emerged: "Go after him, beat him, fight Xu Xiaoshou! I'm your master!"

Liu Sui Shi Wang paused in confusion, then looked toward Hei An Sheng Lin.

Bang, bang, bang!

It dropped the coffin and lumbered into the forest, tumbling along.

"Take me with you!"

Yin Ling Jiu, without legs, hopped in place as the angry voice rang out. "You idiot! Bring me along!"

Liu Sui Shi Wang leaped into the air, its side Sui Xi Zhi Xin sucking in, pulling Yin Ling Jiu from afar and tucking it under its arm.

The crotch Sui Xi Zhi Xin opened wide, emitting a greedy hiss...

"You're going to kill me with anger!"

Yue Gongli nearly burst from the coffin in fury.

Before he could say more, the Shi Wang, coffin in tow, crawled on all fours—inverted—and crossed the retreating boundary into Hei An Sheng Lin's gray-black edge.

"Uh..."

Through Yin Ling Jiu, Yue Gongli fell silent, clearly sensing some strange force.

"That damn Xu Xiaoshou!"

He finally realized why that sly brat ran on foot instead of using spatial abilities...

You unleash the tiger, and I drive it to devour you?

"Shi Wang, retreat!"

Too late!

Liu Sui Shi Wang curiously lifted its head, gazing at its belly.

Its six Sui Xi Zhi Xin sucked voraciously, absorbing endless vitality but unable to digest it...

"Huh?"

The Shi Wang curled its legs, gently stroking its swelling belly. On its pale, featureless face with only a Sui Xi Zhi Xin, a flush of life and maternal tenderness appeared.