Chapter 1563: Fearless Dark Reverse Walker, Star Fire Burns the Divine Court

The lid of Yin Lingjiu was finally knocked off by the tree branches.

The ghost-avoiding bed had lost its quilt, and the three people targeted by the ghosts were completely panicked.

"Xu Xiaoshou, stop pulling my pants!"

"Yue Gongli, just focus on steering the coffin and keep quiet. Spin it faster—the tree branches are coming in!"

Yin Lingjiu spun rapidly, tossed about in the tsunami-like waves.

Yue Gongli, the pilot, tried desperately to use the three-sided coffin to defend against the Zu Shu branches attacking from all directions.

Maybe if it spun fast enough, three sides could cover four?

But this was exhausting. Yue Gongli couldn't hold back and roared, "When will this end? I'm controlling Yin Lingjiu—you have to think of a way!"

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking!"

"Hurry up! At this rate, Yin Lingjiu is going to fall apart completely!"

Suddenly, there was another retching sound.

Yue Gongli couldn't help but sweep his Sheng Nian toward the back, discovering it came from a face that was both strange and familiar—a scholar's face.

He lost his patience. "Hey, why is your Anxiety Bro completely useless? Isn't he supposed to be here to save us?"

"Theoretically, yes."

"Then in reality?"

"In reality..."

Inside Yin Lingjiu, Xu Xiaoshou looked at Kong Yuhen, who was stuck at the bottom due to the high-speed spin, pressed against the Liu Sui Corpse King.

For no reason, his mind flashed back to the absurd scene of that Shi Zun seat being punched away by Shen Yi Xu. After pondering for a long time, he said:

"He might be... seasick from the coffin?"

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!

The Zu Shu branches whipped wildly.

Yin Lingjiu emitted sounds of strain under the pressure, hurled by the tsunami in all directions, aimless and chaotic.

Along the way, Xu Xiaoshou had lost count of how many Lian Ling Shi they had "accidentally" encountered.

They started with Tai Xu levels, and occasionally Ban Sheng, but they all ended the same way—basically vanishing as soon as they appeared.

The stronger ones might hold out for three to five breaths before being swallowed by the tsunami.

And that was just what was visible!

Who knew how many more self-proclaimed elites, eager for the Zhan Shen Guan inheritance, had been mysteriously led to this Shen Ting prototype and met their end.

"There are too many."

"How many Tai Xu and how many Ban Sheng have come?"

"This wave from Di Ying Sheng Zhu is basically a feast. She's not going to gather ninety-nine eighty-one Ban Sheng seats and seal herself as a god on the spot, is she?"

Yue Gongli couldn't hear this grumbling, or he'd be shocked at how the number ninety-nine eighty-one could tie into sealing a god.

"Someone's there!" Suddenly, Xu Xiaoshou pointed to the distant slant and shouted in surprise.

"Where? Where?"

Yue Gongli's eyes lit up immediately.

In this tsunami, even Ban Sheng were like meat on a chopping block.

The three of them were barely holding on with the help of the special weapon Yin Lingjiu—who else could stand up to Di Ying Sheng Zhu?

With a sweep of his Sheng Nian, Yue Gongli quickly spotted the person Xu Xiaoshou mentioned.

It was a voluptuous woman with a fiery figure, her messy pale purple hair flying wildly under the Zu Shu branches' lashes.

In one hand, she held a large wine gourd, and in the other, a dragon tooth bigger than her body—but she wasn't using it.

She relied solely on her pair of shapely long legs, each kick breaking through the void, somehow keeping herself alive.

Most crucially...

"Tai Xu?"

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned.

He glanced quickly and was sure this auntie had no Sheng Li and hadn't reached Ban Sheng level, so...

Using her legs?

Some kind of Gu Wu?

"I thought Shen Yi was already unbeatable in the world—who is she?" Xu Xiaoshou clutched his forehead.

Only at the end of the road do you realize who's the real hero!

"Meow?!"

Yue Gongli hadn't responded yet when a sharp cry from Greedy God echoed in his mind, as if startled.

"You two..."

The woman entangled by the Zu Shu branches had also noticed the lidless coffin drifting relentlessly with the waves, and she called out bluntly:

"Save me, you bastards!"

Xu Xiaoshou's head buzzed.

Well, the auntie's voice was quite pleasant, but her way of referring to herself... that was off, wasn't it?

"Hey, get over here!"

The woman sliced through the branches with her dragon tooth and lunged forward, but her thigh got caught again, trapping her completely.

She tried to say more, but...

"Hic—"

After a long burp.

Yin Lingjiu had already been blasted far away, and they completely missed the chance.

"Damn! Drinking messed everything up!"

"Who is that?" Xu Xiaoshou glanced at Yue Gongli.

Yue Gongli looked baffled, focused on steering the coffin without even turning his head. "A very strong Tai Xu."

"You don't recognize her?"

"No."

"Passive value from deception, 1."

Yue Gongli, you!

Xu Xiaoshou almost believed it.

A fierce fighter like her couldn't be unknown—Xu Xiaoshou would even believe she could make the Zu Shen Bang.

Connecting it to Greedy God's earlier cry, after a quick inquiry, it turned out to be true!

"Bai Zhuo Gongzhu?"

"You know her?" Yue Gongli turned back in surprise.

"Don't play dumb!" Xu Xiaoshou was about to mock him when his eyes widened. "Damn, keep your eyes on the coffin... ah, I mean, steer properly..."

A thick Zu Shu branch slashed in directly from the open top.

Xu Xiaoshou reacted quickly, grabbing his Yan Mang and slicing it like chopping an octopus, cutting the black branch in half.

"Sizzle..."

The broken end spewed out a flood of Xie Shen Zhi Qi, trying to contaminate everyone in the coffin.

Yue Gongli was unaffected.

Xu Xiaoshou gulped it down greedily into his dragon pearl.

Kong Yuhen was still stuck at the bottom, retching, oblivious and completely unaffected.

The Zu Shu branch seemed to pause for a moment, then lost all vitality.

The only one impacted in the entire coffin was the Liu Sui Corpse King.

Its belly suddenly swelled, not like it was about to give birth, but more like it was going to explode.

"Purify!"

Yue Gongli spat out a curse: "Use your Shen Xing Zhi Li already! You're affected by this bit of Xie Shen Zhi Qi?"

The Liu Sui Corpse King let out a confused "Huoh," as if remembering something, and pure Sheng Zu Zhi Li burst from its body.

Instantly, the whole coffin lit up, bright and radiant like a church.

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned.

Wait, a corpse, and it's this holy?

In this rundown coffin, there's not a single idle person—not even an idle corpse.

He grumbled internally, but he sort of understood why the Liu Sui Corpse King had survived when even the Xu Kong Ju Zhu fell to Di Ying Sheng Zhu's attacks.

This thing might be simple-minded, but the quality and quantity of Sheng Zu Zhi Li in it weren't inferior to Xu Kong Ju Zhu's.

And it had one key advantage over Xu Kong Ju Zhu—it had some smarts!

"This Yue Gongli..."

"Stop suspecting me!" Yue Gongli leaned forward, fully controlling Yin Lingjiu, as if he could read Xu Xiaoshou's thoughts. He nodded toward the others and said, "Look at your Sheng Nu people!"

Sheng Nu?

Xu Xiaoshou looked over.

In the distance, a tiny figure, no bigger than a grain of rice, carried a blood tree and wielded an axe, smashing the deadly Di Ying Sheng Zhu branches.

He seemed to have extra attack power against trees, chopping away with glee.

A hazy mist surrounded him, protecting him and blocking sneak attacks.

The two worked together perfectly, making the job effortless.

"Cen Qiaofu? Shui Gui?"

Xu Xiaoshou's brows lifted in delight as he directed the pilot: "Head over, head over!"

Yue Gongli said nothing, just silently turned his head and gave him a glance.

"Uh..."

Xu Xiaoshou's excitement was doused like cold water.

Oh, right—this was still Yue Gongli's coffin. Forcing his way on was already pushing it.

Yue Gongli was cunning; there's no way he'd let Shui Gui and Cen Qiaofu, two Ban Sheng, board.

That would be letting guests take over as hosts.

They might even snatch the pilot's seat!

"Boom!"

Yue Gongli, now more experienced, steered Yin Lingjiu in the opposite direction, away from Sheng Nu.

Clearly...

After encountering two groups of survivors, Yue Gongli couldn't laugh anymore.

He seemed to realize that on the Zu Shen Bang, besides him from Sheng Shen Dian Tang, everyone else was basically an enemy.

Even looking at the whole Shen Zhi Yi Ji, Sheng Shen Dian Tang was still dominant, but underneath, it was all scheming dark forces.

The Sheng Gong that used to cooperate like interlocking horns was no more, especially since Wei An had left early.

"Sheng Gong has bowed out early..."

"He's just Yue Gongli—one tree can't make a forest!"

Xu Xiaoshou naturally picked up on this.

Cen Qiaofu had barely sealed as a saint, and his abilities were unclear, but he knew Shui Gui's strength well.

Can he see me if I can see him?

Bullshit!

Though they couldn't join up yet, Shui Gui had a loud voice. He waved and shouted:

"Fan Zi..."

Gurgle!

Sure enough, before he could finish, the humidity in the void surged, and bubbles appeared everywhere.

Shui Gui, who had been slacking off and treating the old woodcutter like a pack animal, suddenly kicked into gear.

Boundless mist followed the Zu Shu branches from afar, instantly reaching Yin Lingjiu and creeping in along bodies and corpses.

The talent, ability, and light of the O Yi were something even Di Ying Sheng Zhu's darkness couldn't hide!

80 to 90—was the gap that big?

But it wasn't enough to instantly wipe out an ordinary Ban Sheng!

Yin Lingjiu suddenly grew damp inside.

The Liu Sui Corpse King looked at its swelling body, grabbed its head, and shook out the excess water:

"Huoh?"

Yue Gongli's face changed.

"Get out!"

With a crack, the entire Yin Lingjiu froze over.

The Liu Sui Corpse King turned straight into an ice sculpture, all moisture drained.

"Gurgle..."

But Xu Xiaoshou's clothes on his chest parted.

The blood water condensed into a half-human figure, then surged into a blurry head. The hollow half of the golden beast mask appeared too.

A misty hand extended from Xu Xiaoshou's shoulder, gently pushing the half-golden beast mask on Shui Gui's face. The blurry features clearly conveyed annoyance and disgust, but it turned away, fixing on Xu Xiaoshou and speaking quickly:

"The old woodcutter can't hold on much longer."

"The blood tree's Yin Zhi has side effects."

"Di Ying Sheng Zhu's situation has changed—it's surpassed an ordinary Zu Shu, at least a high-level Sheng Di, but the power it's showing..."

"I know all that." Xu Xiaoshou interrupted.

"Then why did you call me over!" Shui Gui snapped.

"Don't just stand there—help out, okay? Cen Qiaofu is about to be drained by you." Xu Xiaoshou chuckled. "Where's my master?"

"Don't know, haven't seen him. He should be fine, or maybe he sensed the guidance and didn't come in."

Xu Xiaoshou pondered, then said to the watery face right in front of him: "Go find a woman with pale purple hair, great figure, looks about thirty or forty..."

"Bai Zhuo Gongzhu?"

"Yeah, yeah, you know her? That's perfect. I don't know where she is now, but you can definitely find her..."

"I can't find her—I'm barely holding on myself."

"You're bullshitting. You're barely holding on, yet you're this relaxed? Listen, she has a big gourd with liquor inside—liquor's like water, so you can definitely track it."

Xu Xiaoshou trusted Shui Gui completely, based on how many times he'd been possessed before.

Shui Gui gripped his golden beast mask, pondering for a good ten breaths before sighing deeply:

"Xu Yue Hui Gong and Sheng Nu don't get along. I helped Ba Zun An before, so Bai Zhuo Gongzhu won't like me. No way we'd cooperate."

Xu Xiaoshou's lips curled.

Keep making excuses!

He knew Shui Gui was powerful but picky—or rather, he liked to play hard to get and always wanted payment.

Back in the Xu Kong Dao incident, Ba Zun An had paid a price to get him to help, and he did a great job wrecking Sheng Shen Dian Tang!

But now, on just Xu Xiaoshou's word, would Shui Gui go ally with Xu Yue Hui Gong?

Xu Xiaoshou's gaze dropped to Shui Gui's upper body emerging from his chest, but with no lower body:

"Shui Gui Qianbei, what color underwear are you wearing today..."

"Stop! Xu Xiaoshou!" Shui Gui barked heavily, glancing subtly at those nearby.

"Then let me tell you a joke." Xu Xiaoshou changed tack. "Back in the Darkness Forest, you missed this—Yue Gongli was giving birth via C-section..."

"Stop! Xu Xiaoshou!" Yue Gongli's body jerked, and he shouted.

On Shui Gui's blurry face, the expression turned complicated.

What?

You have a weakness to this kid too?

C-section—is that what I think it is?

"Heh..."

Xu Xiaoshou's smile bloomed.

One stone kills two birds, one knife scares two monkeys.

I can use this on you two forever!

"Now we can talk business, right?" He looked at the golden beast mask on Shui Gui's face and said:

"Bai Zhuo Gongzhu doesn't get along with Sheng Nu, but she's about to get along with Tian Shang First Tower."

"Find her and tell her that Greedy God has signed a contract with me, and it went perfectly."

"If Xu Yue Hui Gong wants support, I'm their only choice—whether it's the war faction or the conservatives, they should get close to me. Whether it's human form or ghost beast, I have what they want."

"In one word, first come, first served."

Shui Gui fell silent after hearing those ambiguous words. "She won't believe me—I'm from Sheng Nu."

"You're not anymore."

Xu Xiaoshou unilaterally declared Shui Gui's freedom and handed over a token: "From now on, you're a great elder of Tian Shang First Tower!"

Gugu...

Shui Gui stayed silent, bubbles rising from his head.

"What?" Xu Xiaoshou tilted his head. "Don't like great elder? Then how about... protector? Guest elder? Or supreme elder? You pick."

"Great elder it is."

Shui Gui took the token and gave up struggling.

The palm-sized token was finely crafted, with a dragon apricot on one side and a nine-story pavilion piercing the clouds on the other.

But there were no marks specific to "Shui Gui"—it was clearly a standard issue.

Yet, if it was standard...

Shui Gui could sense a space coordinate hidden inside. With a bit of Ling Nian, he could teleport to another world.

His Xing Jie?

"Just make do for now." Xu Xiaoshou chuckled. "Sorry to trouble you—go ahead."

Shui Gui pocketed the token but didn't leave right away. Instead, he turned to greet Yue Gongli, who couldn't stop this from happening and had quietly listened:

"Long time no see, Li Da Gongzi."

Yue Gongli was still focused on controlling Yin Lingjiu, trying to steer away from Sheng Nu's Cen Qiaofu so Shui Gui might get killed by Di Ying Sheng Zhu on the way back. He replied sarcastically:

"Times change, things and people do too."

"Back then, my proud Yu Mo Great Demon King looked down on even Sheng Nu, but now you're settling for less, becoming a lapdog for Tian Shang First Tower?"

Xu Xiaoshou raised an eyebrow but didn't get angry. He just stroked his chin and grinned as the two faced off.

They know each other?

Of course—one was the most arrogant genius of the Ling Bu back then, the other a playful young master from a Sheng Di family. They must have crossed paths.

Fight! Fight!

But Shui Gui wasn't about to clash with Yue Gongli.

He was just saying hello. After glancing at the lidless coffin and the sunken Liu Sui Corpse King, he said calmly:

"Play with coffins less."

"Play with Yin Shi less."

"Watch out, or your sister might whip your ass again."

Yue Gongli's face changed drastically, and he glanced awkwardly at Xu Xiaoshou before exploding: "What nonsense are you spouting!"

Shui Gui smiled.

Sizzle, sizzle...

He turned into mist and vanished.

Xu Xiaoshou, buzzing with curiosity, leaned in like a weasel in a melon field: "Whip? What whip?"

Yue Gongli's fox eyes narrowed in anger: "He's just counting on me not daring to act. If we were in Zhong Yu, he'd lose a Ban Sheng avatar today and not escape!"

"So what whip is it?"

"Isn't Yu Mo from Sheng Nu? He doesn't even listen to Ba Zun An much—why does he listen to you?"

"So what whip?"

"You two are close?"

"Whip..."

"Shut up!" Yue Gongli erupted in fury, turning and jabbing a finger at the young man's forehead: "Xu Xiaoshou, I warn you..."

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly widened his eyes and pointed behind Yue Gongli: "Holy shit, the whip!"

He was just joking.

But he never expected that Yue Gongli, with the power of three ancestors, would shudder violently and crouch down, hugging his head.

The pilot! This was the pilot!

Yin Lingjiu's pilot had abandoned the controls and gone into shutdown mode.

Xu Xiaoshou was baffled.

But only for a moment...

"Boom!"

A massive black branch, like a whip from the sky, smashed Yin Lingjiu, flinging everyone inside out.

"Huoh?" The Liu Sui Corpse King waved its limbs in surprise. Flying?

"Damn..." Xu Xiaoshou was speechless, unable to believe the whip's power was this terrifying.

"Xu Xiaoshou, I'm going to kill you!" Yue Gongli watched as his turtle-shell Yin Lingjiu flew in the opposite direction, his voice turning manic.

The retching sounds from somewhere stopped.

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!

They scattered in all directions.

Everyone faced Di Ying Sheng Zhu's targeted malice.

The Zu Shu had learned its lesson—the first move was to wrap and drag Yin Lingjiu toward the dark depths.

Then it separated everyone's battlefields to keep the troublesome ones from regrouping.

Finally, endless branches pierced through.

"Shit!"

Xu Xiaoshou had no choice but to activate his Ji Xian Giant form and unleash "Bu Dong Ming Wang" again.

The Zu Shu branches halted their attack, stopping just short of a foot from him.

"Holy shit!"

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned.

On the other side, Yue Gongli, now without Yin Lingjiu's protection, cursed but quickly formed seals with his hands.

"Summon! Chong Yin Xie Shen!"

Xie Shen Zhi Qi surged from him, condensing a massive virtual image behind his back, like a saintly figure—a ferocious giant monster.

The monster was enormous, with three heads and six arms, covered in purple fur, its face blurred, roaring as if turning people into nightmares.

"Screech—"

With a piercing cry, purple mist invaded thousands of miles around.

Xu Xiaoshou finally understood why Di Ying Sheng Zhu's Xie Shen Zhi Qi had no effect on Yue Gongli.

And why this guy's Dao Ying had perfectly balanced forces of three ancestors.

He truly commanded such vast and pure Xie Shen Zhi Qi!

This "Chong Yin Xie Shen" was far stronger than the Xie Lao from that Jin Pai Lie Ling killer duo he'd seen before!

"Xie Yi Pollution!"

Yue Gongli struck out with a palm in midair.

The massive Chong Yin Xie Shen followed with a palm.

"Rumble—"

The purple mist spread like a plague.

The Zu Shu branches withered and recoiled upon contact, their life force completely polluted to zero.

But...

In just a blink.

"Screech—"

From the dark depths came an excited, hungry Zu Shu cry, and more branches shot out from the air.

"Xu! Xiao! Shou!"

Yue Gongli lost it.

Not just mentally—physically too.

But here, in the Zu Shu's Shen Ting prototype, if he dragged this out, he'd end up like Xu Kong Ju Zhu.

"Passive value from summons, 1."

Why call me?

With Ji Xian Giant and Bu Dong Ming Wang activated, Xu Xiaoshou turned into a living turtle shell.

I have a bunch of passive skills—who's afraid?

Joke's on you!

Di Ying Sheng Zhu is afraid!

She fears the pain and doesn't want to crack this hard nut, so all branches went after Yue Gongli. Xu Xiaoshou was thrilled.

Fight! Fight...

"Sizzle, sizzle."

Just then, mist rose from the Ji Xian Giant, and Shui Gui's panicked voice came through:

"Run!"

"Xu Xiaoshou, run—I saw her true form!"

Her true form?

Whose?

Xu Xiaoshou blanked for a second, then his mind slowly recalled the image he'd seen upon entering the depths of the Darkness Forest—a graceful, maternal-like towering dark tree.

Di Ying Sheng Zhu had come out?

How enticing was Yue Gongli that she didn't chase earlier, but as soon as Chong Yin Xie Shen appeared, the tree uprooted?

"Run!"

Shui Gui, Cen Qiaofu, and Bai Zhuo all shouted as they passed under the Ji Xian Giant's crotch.

But under Bu Dong Ming Wang, his thoughts were painfully slow.

Until the branch beside him twitched, as if gathering force, Xu Xiaoshou's mind flashed with the idea:

"What if she tanks Bu Dong Ming Wang's backlash and sucks me dry?"

The image of Xu Kong Ju Zhu's flayed corpse flickered by.

Xu Xiaoshou immediately dispelled Bu Dong Ming Wang, rolled up his sleeves, tore through the branches, and bolted.

"Shit!"

Behind him, Di Ying Sheng Zhu's main body loomed vaguely.

Ahead, Shui Gui, Cen Qiaofu, and Bai Zhuo had already dashed thousands of miles away.

Yue Gongli's Chong Yin Xie Shen was all thunder and no rain—one strike and it scooped him up to flee fastest of all.

He was left as the rearguard defense!

"Rumble, rumble, rumble..."

The Zu Shu chased from behind.

All the Tai Xu, Ban Sheng, and giants ran ahead.

But the distance kept closing—once Di Ying Sheng Zhu locked on and decided to relocate, she had no intention of letting anyone go!

"Bu Yi Deng Tian."

Xu Xiaoshou took a step and surged ahead of Chong Yin Xie Shen, about to trip it with spatial teleportation.

"Crack!"

He froze into an ice sculpture for a moment.

Shui Gui, Cen Qiaofu, and Bai Zhuo quickly overtook the two scheming giants.

"Screech!!!"

Di Ying Sheng Zhu's hungry cry was right on their heels, as if even nonexistent foul saliva could be smelled.

"Passive value from fright, 1."

At this critical juncture.

In the dark ahead of their frantic escape, a figure walked against the flow, steps unhurried.

Whoosh!

As he walked, he tossed something.

The dark void lit up with a flash, briefly illuminating the Shen Ting prototype.

The flash grazed Chong Yin Xie Shen and passed by the Ji Xian Giant's knee.

Xu Xiaoshou focused.

Even though it was small, he saw it.

It was a heavy staff, gold-tipped at both ends and dark brown in the middle.

The flash wasn't from Ling Yuan—it was pure kinetic force tearing through air and space, creating fire and thunder arcs.

"What is that?"

The thought barely crossed his mind.

The staff embedded into the ground.

Suddenly, the entire dark Shen Ting prototype shook, as if a massive object had crashed down, snapping all surrounding Zu Shu branches.

Snap, snap, snap...

Di Ying Sheng Zhu stopped chasing.

Chong Yin Xie Shen halted its flight, and Ji Xian Giant stopped.

Shui Gui, Cen Qiaofu, and Bai Zhuo stood still, staring blankly at the figure shrinking distances, approaching step by step.

Until a bald head passed everyone, the giants, and reached the staff, pulling it out gently.

A deep voice broke the Shen Ting's dead silence:

"Everyone, get behind me."