Chapter 1560: Cooperation for Mutual Benefit Is Nonsense, Void Giant Lord Creates Heaven Kingdom

"Mother?!"

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned. Immersed in the dark world, he knew nothing of what was happening outside. But what was unfolding before his eyes... This was too bizarre! A Holy Emperor's successor calling a tree "Mother"?

"Moon Fox, don't scare me!"

His steps, initially seeking cooperation, abruptly halted. Turning his head, Xu Xiaoshou darted away in the opposite direction. It was too strange. Whether Yue Gongli was born from a tree, or if he uttered that phrase because he was being controlled—none of it mattered. Both possibilities were terrifying.

From what his "Perception" showed, the moment Yue Gongli uttered "Mother," he wasn't the only one startled. The tsunami of endless black branches paused, too, as if the Child-Womb Saint Plant itself was bewildered, wondering when it had acquired such a fine "son."

*Whoosh.*

Seizing the opportunity, Yue Gongli's knees seemed oiled as he slid backward with practiced ease, then quickly rose and accelerated, rushing to Xu Xiaoshou's side.

"Get lost!"

Xu Xiaoshou was alarmed by his burst of speed, thinking the guy was being controlled by the Child-Womb Saint Plant and was coming to capture him. He instinctively slapped out.

Yue Gongli ducked to avoid it, then tapped his finger on his head, lowering his voice. "She can think."

Think... What thinking? Wait! You weren't controlled? So, you knelt down and called out "Mother" just to test if she could think?

Xu Xiaoshou's head buzzed. He wondered if Yue Gongli also had a system that made him stronger by acting eccentrically. But this was simply too much!

"And to scare her a bit, get some revenge. Can't let her chase me for so long for nothing, right?" Yue Gongli said. He then summoned the Yin Coffin from the darkness, leaped onto it while still running, and deftly kicked open its lid. He flung himself inside, as if pulling back a corner of a blanket, and with a roll, disappeared into the coffin's opening. He was clearly well-practiced. At the last second, the Six-Marrow Corpse King, battered beyond recognition, flattened itself and squeezed in, clearly terrified for its life.

The coffin lid closed, muffling Yue Gongli's final words: "Many people chase me, but she's the most terrifying one..."

Everything happened in a flash. A huge question mark appeared above Xu Xiaoshou's head. He had only been momentarily confused by "She can think" before Yue Gongli completed his self-seclusion. At that moment, Xu Xiaoshou seemed to understand why, despite his incredible attack speed, Yue Gongli had managed to tuck himself into the Yin Coffin outside the Dark Forest earlier. He was too skilled! Did you get beaten up every day?!

But...

"Why go into the coffin to wait for death instead of running?" Being chased, was it better than cowering in a turtle shell and getting beaten? Was the Yin Coffin so strong that Yue Gongli was confident it could withstand the Child-Womb Saint Plant's attacks? Even if it could... Lessons from the past showed that people inside the Yin Coffin could be shaken to death!

*Whoosh...*

There seemed to be movement all around. At the same time, Yue Gongli's teasing voice came from inside the coffin: "Xu Xiaoshou, look around."

His spiritual sense was almost non-existent, and his "Perception" visibility was very low. In this dark world, all means of observation were suppressed to the extreme. Xu Xiaoshou primarily relied on his eyes to see his surroundings—eyes enhanced by the Dragon Apricot, which paradoxically gave him a super vision that was hard to suppress in this strange world, though still much weaker than usual.

He heard the sound and looked back...

*Boom!*

The surging tsunami of branches behind him, as if enraged, came crashing down again like mad.

*Boom, boom, boom...*

Just as Xu Xiaoshou was about to run, booming sounds also came from his left, right, and even in front of him. Looking around, the tsunami wasn't just chasing him from behind; it was coming from all directions! He was like a lone boat. The world had turned into a tidal wave, trying to converge on the center and overturn everything.

"You bastard... are you setting me up?"

In that instant, Xu Xiaoshou realized what Yue Gongli's "She can think" meant. A tree that couldn't think would only chase someone in one direction until they were out of reach or driven out of this world. But if it could think, it would know to chase its prey in a curved path in the darkness, while simultaneously extending large hands to encircle them from all sides, finally driving the pig into a pen for a hearty meal!

Looking up at the Yin Coffin, Xu Xiaoshou also understood why this guy had chosen to "seclude" himself.

"No one likes to lie in a coffin unless absolutely necessary," Yue Gongli said, reveling in his schadenfreude.

*Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!*

The tsunami of branches from all directions surged in, threatening to pierce them full of holes... no, to pulverize them. What did it mean to have no way to heaven and no door to earth?

"Open up for me!"

Xu Xiaoshou kicked the coffin. The Yin Coffin hummed, the yellow talismans absorbing the immense force, leaving it perfectly still.

"Don't forget, you just threw me back there. A man's knees are worth spiritual crystals; I knelt because of you, forced to call her 'Mother'," Yue Gongli said, being petty.

Xu Xiaoshou glanced left and right, his expression growing more anxious. "But you said this coffin is big enough for two people!"

"Yes, I did say that, but did I say I'd let you in?" Yue Gongli snickered, covering his mouth.

"You!" Xu Xiaoshou was stunned, then burst into exasperated laughter. Alright, alright. So this is how we're playing? I'm usually the one pranking others, and now you're pulling tricks on me, even wordplay, huh?

*Swish, swish, swish!*

The tsunami was upon him, with nowhere left to hide. Indeed, with no way to heaven and no door to earth, was Xu Xiaoshou truly without an escape? His "Self-Exiled" combined with "Disappearance Art" could erase him from existence, and even if the Child-Womb Saint Plant still sensed him, its first reaction would surely be to devour the coffin and Yue Gongli. This was the best strategy: let others die to save oneself.

His backup plan involved the Four Swords, which were originally meant for Yue Gongli but hadn't returned to his hand. After the sudden emergence of the Child-Womb Saint Plant, he immediately dropped anchor points in place. His second true body was far outside the Divine Ruins, and contact was currently severed. Relying on the 80 Sword Dao Disk, his sword will, and the strong bond he had formed with the four ferocious swords, even though this dark world cut off all connection to the outside, Xu Xiaoshou could still vaguely know the general direction of the Four Swords. That should be the only escape route! Perhaps the area where the Four Swords were located was also covered by the Child-Womb Saint Plant's dark world. But at the very least, its coordinates were probably the only ones that could lead back to the Dark Forest and the Divine Ruins. Spatial teleportation there was a middle-tier strategy. Why middle-tier? Because that's how they were guided into this strange world, so who knew if other incidents would occur?

As for the worst strategy... Xu Xiaoshou could, of course, transform into an Extreme Giant and punch the tree repeatedly. Or he could pull out the Blazing Serpent and unleash the second stage of several ancient sword arts he had learned throughout his life, directly targeting the Child-Womb Saint Plant to test its strength.

But what about Yue Gongli? Would he just sit there, eating melon seeds and watching the show? They came in together; why should Xu Xiaoshou suddenly become his pawn, working for him while he slept comfortably in a coffin, watching Xu Xiaoshou perform?

Xu Xiaoshou wasn't stupid! He remembered what Li Fugui had said. Not a single word that came out of Yue Gongli's mouth could be trusted. This guy was also in danger, yet he was bold and quick-witted. In just a few seemingly nonsensical taunts, he had achieved his goal: hiding in the coffin to watch others perform. It was even infuriating, making it seem as if the only path left was to play along and perform. But revealing his trump cards to Yue Gongli, displaying his various sword arts, showing the strength of the Extreme Giant, even exposing his Self-Exiled, or even the Passive Fist... Would he make the Child-Womb Saint Plant work for Yue Gongli, reverse-testing his own strength? After that, if he could break out of this world, he would. If not, Yue Gongli would come out to break it, and after they left the Divine Ruins, he could turn around and target Xu Xiaoshou, who had exposed all his trump cards? Control was often given away in such muddled situations. To outsiders, all of Yue Gongli's schemes might truly be able to deceive. But Xu Xiaoshou was no longer a naive lamb. After the baptism he had undergone from Dao Qiongcang, from the Four Symbols Secret Realm to Mount Qingyuan, his vision was far-reaching. How could he let this "Moon Fox" push his calculations onto him without realizing it? That would be foolish!

*Rumble—*

As the black tsunami crashed into his face, the feigned panic and tension in Xu Xiaoshou's eyes vanished. Golden light burst towards the sky, and a Berserk Giant appeared. Then, another giant emerged from within that giant: the Extreme Giant.

*Boom!*

A golden lightning bolt shot from the Yin Coffin toward the sky, tearing through the black waves and sending countless branches flying.

"Wow!" A gasp came from inside the coffin: "This is it! So satisfying, truly fierce!"

"Lord Shou! Slap her! Let this tree see the true power of us humans. It's rude not to return a blow!"

"Dare to chase us? Why not just punch her to oblivion?"

Believe it or not, these provocative words genuinely incited a surge of "So you're the damn Child-Womb Saint Plant?" impulse in Xu Xiaoshou. He was about to raise his Passive Fist! But when that strange feeling flickered and passed, even without Mental Awakening, Xu Xiaoshou realized he was being guided again. Yue Gongli was just one "I do" away from becoming a Holy Emperor. But one "away" was still "away"; his guiding power was superficial, and with vigilance, Xu Xiaoshou could feel the abnormality within himself.

"Dog bastard!"

After cursing under his breath, Xu Xiaoshou not only held back his punch but also faced the waves of branches that, after being shaken off by his own presence, returned to surge at him... Yes, waves. Under the terrifying bulk of the Extreme Giant, even small waves had height. They couldn't overwhelm the Extreme Giant's head, only reaching its abdomen and below. But they were still enormous! Facing such a massive quantity of branches charging and piercing, the Extreme Giant squatted down, then protected its head with both hands, adopting a blocking stance...

"Huh?"

Blasted into the ground by the terrifying squat's shockwave, Yue Gongli inside the Yin Coffin was clearly bewildered. Was this the starting move for some ultimate technique? Was Xu Xiaoshou going to charge with this posture and push the tsunami back into the Child-Womb Saint Plant's face? In a flash, he dismissed that bizarre possibility, because golden light appeared on the Extreme Giant's body.

"Immovable Wisdom King!"

The golden light was faint, but emanating from the Extreme Giant's fearsome physique, it was like a dazzling sun. The golden light was shallow, but appearing in this world of pure darkness, it outshone daylight.

*Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom...*

The moment the blocking stance was formed, the endless tsunami of branches pierced into the giant's body... No! Not pierced! Inside the Yin Coffin, Yue Gongli's eyes widened. Those indestructible branches, upon touching the layer of golden light on the giant's body, shattered. Billions upon billions of branches crashed against it, countless breaking, but with sheer quantity against quality, they could still gradually wear down the golden light layer on the giant.

"What kind of defense is this?!" Yue Gongli was utterly terrified. The corrupted Child-Womb Saint Plant, whose power was estimated to be at least that of a Holy Emperor, was fighting against a Dao Severer... well, in terms of combat power, Xu Xiaoshou was only at the Half-Saint level, yet it needed to rely on quantity to wear down the golden light? What in the world was this? Was Xu Xiaoshou even human anymore? With this golden thing, Dao Xuanji wanted to deal with him? If Xu Xiaoshou stood there for three days and three nights, letting her deal damage, could she even break his defense? She would only break down on the spot!

*Boom!*

The golden light was breached after a brief moment. After the Extreme Giant's body violently shook, Yue Gongli, hidden inside the Yin Coffin, suddenly heard a piercing shriek from the ends of the world: "Hiss!!!" The wailing cry, like a cat crying, an infant weeping, or ghosts howling, echoed endlessly like a mental plague, sweeping over everything. The Child-Womb Saint Plant's scream? She was attacked? Who attacked her?

*Pfft!*

Inside the Yin Coffin, before his mind could fully grasp it, Yue Gongli's head suddenly spasmed and contorted, and he spat out blood. Just from hearing it from afar, his whole body twitched, and he was covered in a strong aura of an evil god, like a rabid dog. The evil energy was then instantly absorbed back into his body. Yue Gongli returned to normal, opening his eyes inside the coffin. In his eyes, the chaotic three-colored powers of Saint Ancestor, Sky Ancestor, and Evil God flashed, then subsided.

A moment later, he curled his legs, hugging his knees with one hand and covering his mouth with the other, letting out a surprised cry: "Lord Shou, what was that sound? So scary..."

"Attacked, Passive Value, 1.""Questioned, Passive Value, 1."

The information bar popped up. Even though the Immovable Wisdom King was breached, Xu Xiaoshou's Extreme Giant form remained active, and his resistance was incredibly strong. After a brief ripple in his thoughts, he calmly stabilized the surging Evil God power within him, then said: "That's the sound of someone facing imminent death, yet still unaware."

Inside the Yin Coffin, Yue Gongli's eyes lit up, and he immediately made a powerful punching motion: "How arrogant! Youth should be arrogant! Go, Lord Shou! If I were thirty years younger, without this Ancestral Source power trouble, I would definitely fight alongside you... fight... hey, hey? What the hell?"

Yue Gongli hadn't even finished speaking when he felt the Yin Coffin lift off. A quick probe with his saint sense revealed that the Extreme Giant wasn't relentlessly pursuing and attacking the Child-Womb Saint Plant's main body. Instead, it had picked up the coffin protecting him with two fingers larger than heavenly pillars!

Yue Gongli's Adam's apple bobbed. "Lord Shou, what do you mean by this?"

"I told you, it means facing imminent death, yet still unaware."

As the thunderous, buzzing voice settled, Yue Gongli felt the entire Yin Coffin deforming, deforming grotesquely! The head and tail of the coffin were subjected to two immense forces that couldn't be absorbed. The coffin lid bulged upward, and the bottom bulged downward. The Yin Coffin, one of the ten great psychic weapons, seemed about to be crushed by just two fingers of the Extreme Giant!

"Holy crap!"

"No, no! Don't!"

Yue Gongli was like someone who had sat on a hot stove without realizing it; he sprang up from the scorching pain and scrambled back and forth inside the coffin: "No, Lord Shou, hit her! Why are you squeezing my coffin? I'm your friend, not your enemy! Our opponent is the Child-Womb Saint... Stop, stop! Lord Shou, I beg you, don't crush my coffin! Something terrifying will happen! I'm not lying to you! Stop now!"

Something terrifying would happen? What could be more terrifying than an Extreme Giant, who didn't fall for your tricks, now wanting to crush your turtle shell?

"I will uproot the Child-Womb Saint Plant."

"But before that, you'll be out of the ruins."

The Extreme Giant's fingers tightened further. Mastering the profound meaning of life and the Devouring Body, the vitality plundered from nature was virtually endless. His strength, too, was inexhaustible. The Extreme Giant truly achieved the freedom to activate and deactivate, and to act wildly in between!

*Hiss!!!*

In the darkness, another piercing shriek echoed. A tearing sound like thunder came from afar, as if some incredible, giant monster was rapidly approaching. It was clearly the Child-Womb Saint Plant, enraged and intent on launching an attack. Yet, at this moment, the Extreme Giant ignored the threat from its side and rear, its target still the Yin Coffin, its supposed "ally" for mutual benefit.

"Stop!"

Yue Gongli finally shrieked. "Cooperate, let's cooperate! Let's stop hurting each other... I can fight! I can fight very well!"

"Too late."

"I can fight very well on my own."

Golden light emanated from the Extreme Giant's fingertips. Sheer brute force alone couldn't crush the coffin, so it adopted a 'burst' stance. In an instant, more than ten talismans on the Yin Coffin exploded.

Yue Gongli's screams were laced with fear. "Don't do it, someone will die! Cooperate! I'll tell you first, something big went wrong at the Dyed Tea Remains, people are really going to die now!"

"That's just perfect."

*Thump, thump, thump, thump...*

Dozens more talismans shattered. Yue Gongli was bewildered, clutching his head and doing continuous sit-ups inside the coffin. You don't believe me? How can you not believe me? He hadn't heard the story of the boy who cried wolf, but at this moment, Yue Gongli profoundly understood its lesson.

"I'm really, really not kidding!" Yue Gongli was genuinely panicked, his words tumbling out like a torrent: "My backup plans in the Five Domains are cut off, and the Half-Saint avatar I specifically used to transmit messages can't be reached either! People are truly, truly going to die now! If you kill me, the Child-Womb Saint Plant will also devour my power, and in the end, only you and I will die!"

Your Half-Saint avatar can't be reached either? What a coincidence, neither can mine. Upon hearing that, Xu Xiaoshou truly believed Yue Gongli... zero percent.

"Sorry, only you will die. Not me."

"You arrogant fool! You conceited brat! What do I have to say for you to believe me..."

Yue Gongli was going crazy. Suddenly, his thoughts solidified, and he calmed down, saying: "The Child-Womb Saint Plant swallowed the Ancestral God's fate; she wants to dabble in the true secrets of the God-Slayer Official's inheritance and reach the Ancestral God Realm! We must stop her!"

The Extreme Giant's finger strength finally paused, then immediately intensified again. "Great minds think alike. Now, get going."

"You're sick! You're brain-damaged! Xu Xiaoshou, you're a lunatic! You won't have an easy time after I die either..."

Yue Gongli truly went mad. Even Xu Xiaoshou hadn't expected that while cursing, this guy would push open the coffin lid himself, stick out a long ice blade, and viciously chop at the Extreme Giant's fingers. It was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. The ice blade shattered.

Yue Gongli shivered with fright, then tremblingly shrank back into the coffin and closed the lid. "You're going to infuriate me to death! You're going to infuriate me to death! You're..."

Just then, the eerie sound that had disappeared for a long time, only to suddenly reappear beside him, erupted.

"Attacked, Passive Value, 1."

Out of the corner of the Extreme Giant's eye, a thick, dark brown branch, as thick as the giant's own head, carrying an intensely greedy, ravenous, frantic, and vengeful emotion, plunged towards its head. It was a spiritual will! It was the same spiritual will that he had initially detected in the Dark Forest. Upon realizing it couldn't control him, it had retreated to the deepest part of the forest to hide. Now, seeing the internal conflict and the Extreme Giant's power, it couldn't resist coming out again to launch a fatal blow?

Though the Extreme Giant was massive, its movements were incredibly agile. It immediately tilted its head, spun its feet, and with a single step, soared backward to create distance, while simultaneously tossing the coffin in its fingers high into the air. Then, it pushed out a hand! The giant's palm covered the Yin Coffin. The tip of the dark brown ancestral tree's vengeful strike, imbued with spiritual will, also struck the Yin Coffin. The two colossal forces collided with a thunderous impact. The Yin Coffin in the middle was merely an adornment; disaster struck it first and foremost, caught between two opposing forces, becoming the filling sandwiched between two flatbreads.

"Aargh!!!"

Yue Gongli clutched his head, letting out a shriek more chilling than that of the Child-Womb Saint Plant. There was no suspense. The coffin lid was misaligned and flattened. The Yin Coffin softened and also became flattened. Two terrifying storms from left and right pressed in. Before they even touched him, Yue Gongli's eyeballs were squeezed towards the center, also flattened.

The Six-Marrow Corpse King sat up straight in the coffin. Without eyes, it couldn't see the situation, and it let out an inappropriate, yet indeed brainless, idiotic sound.

"Huh?"

A brilliant, dazzling white light burst from beneath the Six-Marrow Corpse King's backside, sending it *splat* onto the flesh-covered palm of the Extreme Giant.

"Roar—"

In heaven and earth, a furious roar suddenly erupted. The dark brown ancestral tree branch and the Extreme Giant's hand were suddenly pushed apart!

—A giant corpse, with pale skin and resembling a Void Attendant enlarged a thousand or ten thousand times, pushed away the ancestral tree branch with one palm and the Extreme Giant with the other, forcefully separating them!

"ROAR!!!"

Waves of energy rolled. The Child-Womb Saint Plant's branches were blasted back. The Extreme Giant felt as if the power in its palm had been sucked dry by the Void Attendant, even the recoil force was absorbed, and it was pushed back half a step.

"Oh oh..."

Vast and pure Sky Ancestor power diffused, as if to dye this dark world into a domain that only existed under the Sky Ancestor's rule. This was practically shouting "I am king" on the Child-Womb Saint Plant's home ground!

Yue Gongli, standing on the head of the colossal Void Giant corpse, now only held his hands to his cheeks, shaking his head incessantly: "I told you not to do it, I told you not to. Now look, the Void Giant Lord has awakened..."