Chapter 1568: Upper Realm Drooping Branches Pierce the Gods As Well, Asura and Hungry Ghosts from the Four Abodes Pursue

"Ao Ou"

"My Ao Ou brother, Ao Ou won't come out."

Seeing even Yue Gongli, who was usually calm and composed, lose his composure, Xu Xiaoshou realized this guy had run into a truly formidable opponent.

The Lun Hui Tian Sheng Zhu was something he was hearing about for the first time.

Earlier, when they were outside, Li Fugui hadn't mentioned it at all.

Now, after emerging from the Shen Ting prototype, he had handed over the brainwork to Sang Lao and Shui Gui, and Xu Xiaoshou's first move was to try contacting his second true body...

It failed!

"So, it's not because the Shen Ting prototype from the Di Ying Sheng Zhu cut off the connection between Shen Zhi Yi Ji and Sheng Shen Dalu."

"It's because Yue Gongli and I discovered her, and she couldn't resist the temptation, so she decided to act, cutting off the connection between Shen Zhi Yi Ji and the outside world."

This showed that the Di Ying Sheng Zhu's influence on Shen Zhi Yi Ji was likely even greater than anyone had anticipated.

Since it could shut down the only passage, it could naturally affect the channels inside, from the first level of Tian Yu Sheng to the eighteenth.

In such a situation, an accident with the Lun Hui Tian Sheng Zhu was only to be expected.

But...

"Even a Ban Sheng was shattered?"

This was the only part that surprised Xu Xiaoshou.

A Ban Sheng wasn't some common cabbage; you couldn't just pop pills to become one. There were far too many Dao trials in between.

Even in Shen Zhi Yi Ji, and despite the Di Ying Sheng Zhu wiping out saints like ants in the Shen Ting prototype, it didn't diminish the value of a Ban Sheng.

The only explanation was...

"The strangeness level of the Lun Hui Tian Sheng Zhu is about the same as that of the An Hei Sheng Lin?" Shui Gui hesitated and guessed.

As if thinking that something of similar intensity was unlikely to have a second one, his thoughts quickly shifted, and he said:

"Or maybe, it's the same one?"

Sang Lao hadn't entered the dark world, but after exchanging with Cen Qiaofu, he had a pretty good idea and turned his gaze accordingly.

Xu Xiaoshou also looked toward the distant battlefield where Shen Yi was, murmuring:

"Di Ying Sheng Zhu!"

Hiss!!!

A strange cry echoed from the distance, harmonizing with the one from the Lun Hui Tian Sheng Zhu.

The two overlapped, clearly both the manic hisses of the Di Ying Sheng Zhu.

Two great ancestral trees?

No... In front of the Qing Shi Da Zhu, Yue Gongli seemed to realize something and shouted explosively:

"Retreat!"

He no longer cared about those around him, just using what little power he had to shake everyone away, leaving his fate to the heavens.

In a flash, Yue Gongli appeared beside Huang Quan and said in a low, urgent voice:

"Sheng Di's true body!"

Huang Quan stood there as if he were present yet not, like he hadn't been reflected in the space mirror before.

It was only when Yue Gongli flashed to his side that he seemed to connect with him.

The golden robe and golden mask of Yan Wang Shou Zuo Huang Quan began to materialize slightly, and the knife and sword on his back gained a faint presence as one of the nine supreme divine artifacts.

"Stay calm."

Huang Quan, who had somehow formed an alliance with Yue Gongli under unknown conditions, was much more composed than Yue Gongli at that moment.

After all, he didn't desperately seek the Zu Shen life grid.

He wasn't the one being used as a pawn.

If possible, the Sheng Nu would rather not provoke him and would prefer to poach and undermine his alliance with Sheng Di Yue Shi.

Thus, the one confused in the situation was only Yue Gongli.

Huang Quan, being an outsider, could clearly see the current state of affairs and said slowly:

"The state of the Di Ying Sheng Zhu right now doesn't matter."

"Whether the summoner of the Lun Hui Tian Sheng Zhu is you or them doesn't matter."

"Don't forget, the enemy of the ancestral tree right now is only one."

Yue Gongli heard this, his expression steadying a bit, and then he grinned.

That's right!

He had almost lost his footing and forgotten something so important—the one fighting the Di Ying Sheng Zhu from the start was only Shen Yi!

"Chi..."

Sure enough, the Lun Hui Tian Sheng Zhu, fused with the Ban Sheng position, soon surged with a vast evil god power.

But this power didn't rampage against the retreated people around; instead, it all poured into the body of Ban Sheng Cheng Guanglu.

"Heh..."

Cheng Guanglu's injuries healed rapidly, even his head regenerating.

His Ban Sheng position had been seized, and his head blown open like a watermelon, but Cheng Guanglu still had one last breath left.

After all, as long as the spirit and intent didn't die, a Ban Sheng was hard to kill.

Moreover, the Lun Hui Tian Sheng Zhu's attack wasn't like the ancestral tree branches in the Shen Ting prototype, which wiped out everything, body, soul, and intent.

But now!

That last wisp of Ban Sheng aura seemed completely erased by the overwhelming ancestral source power!

"Heh heh heh..."

Cheng Guanglu accepted the power surging from the Lun Hui Tian Sheng Zhu, groaning as he lifted his head.

In that moment, his eyes burst with only demonic evil energy!

"What's going on?"

Xu Xiaoshou sensed keenly that this old Ban Sheng was no longer the same as before, like he had been possessed...

But it was a bit different.

"Usurpation." Shui Gui's eyelids drooped, his expression grave.

Usurpation?

After dealing with ghost beasts' "possession" so many times, this was finally "usurpation"?

Xu Xiaoshou didn't know if his understanding of "usurpation" matched that of Sheng Shen Dalu, and he was about to ask.

But Sang Lao already spoke: "Ban Sheng Cheng Guanglu has become a puppet of a part of the Di Ying Sheng Zhu's will."

So, it really was usurpation?

No, not entirely pure—the Di Ying Sheng Zhu had only split off a wisp of will and taken everything from Cheng Guanglu?

But...

Xu Xiaoshou frowned and looked to the other side.

Wasn't the Di Ying Sheng Zhu getting beaten senseless by Shen Yi?

"Boom!"

The overlord's pillar smashed down, completely shattering the last tentacle of the Di Ying Sheng Zhu.

The entire mountain range turned to dust, and the vast land lost all life.

By now, Shen Yi was fighting bare-chested, sweating profusely.

It wasn't just the tree crown and the six half-body tentacles that had pushed him to this state.

At the end, Shen Yi wasn't fighting anymore; he was torturing.

"Say! Who are you exactly?"

"You've swallowed so many Ban Sheng positions, and not a single one has come out—where did they go?"

"After eating so many people, what are you really trying to do?"

"Do you know Zhan Shen Guan Ran Ming? Is He dead or not?"

Hiss...

The Di Ying Sheng Zhu's wisp of will, like a pathetic little snake, was pinched in Shen Yi's hand.

The life in that area was completely gone, making it impossible for anything to revive, even causing pregnancies.

The ancestral tree's innate powerful path of life had been thoroughly analyzed by Shen Yi through the human path in this battle.

Learning naturally was hard and not everyone could do it like Xu Xiaoshou.

But erasing such a path's aura, making the world devoid of water and preventing water-based mysteries from reviving, thereby stopping the Di Ying Sheng Zhu from starting over... Shen Yi did it effortlessly.

"If you won't say, that's fine."

Looking at the cowering wisp of will in his hand, Shen Yi wiped the sweat from his arm and chuckled:

"I'll follow you and drag out your true body."

"No matter where you hide, at the edge of the sky or the corner of the sea, I'll find you. Believe it or not?"

Hiss...

The little snake cowered, as if it had lost all ability to communicate.

Life...

Shen Yi narrowed his eyes in thought, then widened them and thrust the overlord's pillar.

"Shu Sheng Dao · Ba Zhu Bird!"

His burly body suddenly writhed, his feet curling into claws, his arms spreading into fierce wings.

Red feathers grew on his skin's surface, transforming him into a blazing fire bird.

Ba Zhu Bird, an ancient creature that traveled the path of fire, refined itself with the essence of the fierce sun, and fed on the will of living beings—hunting without killing, only devouring their wisdom.

"Caw!"

With a cry, the bird's red beak pecked at the wisp of will.

Shen Yi knew exactly how to deal with these silent stubborn ones; he had over a dozen methods to make them spill everything.

Ba Zhu Bird was just one.

Once he ate that wisp of will, he would know everything it had experienced and cultivated.

But the perfect Shu Sheng Dao had side effects—it would take a lot of time afterward to forget those things that didn't belong to him, to avoid tainting his own path.

Just as the beak was about to strike, a hiss came from behind.

"Hiss—"

The Di Ying Sheng Zhu's voice!

Wasn't this thing almost eradicated? There's more?

Shen Yi was surprised but delighted. The Ba Zhu Bird's body writhed, and with a thunderous roar from the heavenly path:

"Shu Sheng Dao · Bi Xi!"

Cheng Guanglu's fist slammed into a massive turtle shell, shattering his entire arm in an instant.

He seemed stunned for a moment, then another hoarse, heavy sound came:

"Shu Sheng Dao · Bai Hu!"

As the words fell, tiger claws ripped out his heart.

Cheng Guanglu's whole body exploded into a rain of blood, falling from the sky.

Far away, Ban Sheng Chang Yi saw the majestic giant white tiger and his eyelids twitched wildly.

So, when Shen Yi had dealt with him earlier, using only one strike, he had held back—and not just a little?

"Chi chi chi..."

But then, something unexpected happened.

The rain of blood didn't fall; instead, it pieced together a strange life pattern in mid-air—like a life mystery array, but very different.

Soon, a withered, gnarled branch emerged from it.

The branch was pitch-black, piercing souls and flesh, carrying wails of resentment and the faces of all living things—eerily abnormal.

As soon as it appeared, it broke through space and time in a flash, burrowing into the white tiger form of Shen Yi.

"Chi!"

The black branch pierced the tiger.

Shu Sheng Dao shattered instantly.

Shen Yi stared down at the strange branch passing through his heart, greedily draining his surging life force.

Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle...

"Watch out!"

Xu Xiaoshou had shouted the warning the moment Cheng Guanglu teleported to attack Shen Yi.

Everything that followed happened in a flash.

Shu Sheng Dao changed three times, Cheng Guanglu was instantly killed, the Di Ying Sheng Zhu's new branch appeared in an unfathomable way, piercing Shen Yi...

"Has Shen Yi lost?"

Even now, Xu Xiaoshou couldn't help but think that.

In his eyes, Shen Yi was almost synonymous with invincibility.

A brute!

The ultimate brute!

But until this branch, carrying power beyond anything in the Shen Ting prototype, easily broke Shen Yi's defense...

He finally realized...

Shen Yi was just a person, not a god.

The Di Ying Sheng Zhu, however, was more than just itself; its strangeness seemed to come from the eighteenth level above?

"So..."

Xu Xiaoshou looked at Sang Lao and Shui Gui in shock, his mind flashing back to the only unresolved question so far:

Earlier in the Shen Ting world, Yue Gongli had suggested that the Di Ying Sheng Zhu seemed to be a high-level Sheng Di, even possibly approaching Zu Shen capabilities.

But the power it displayed was only that of a low-level Sheng Di.

In the end, it was utterly beaten by Shen Yi, chased from the Shen Ting to Shen Zhi Yi Ji, in complete disarray.

"Sheng Di?"

"Sheng Di's true body?"

"Sheng Di's intent avatar?"

Including what Yue Gongli had gravely said to Huang Quan in the space mirror—"Sheng Di's true body"—it all flashed through his mind.

Xu Xiaoshou seemed to understand.

Sang Lao and Shui Gui also showed dawning realization.

"So, in this first level, it's just the Di Ying Sheng Zhu's intent avatar?"

"When she was beaten almost to total destruction, her true ancestral tree body had no choice but to aid in another way."

"'Just in time,' the Lun Hui Tian Sheng Zhu was activated, and the ancestral tree branch used this only channel to the levels above, infiltrating to attack Shen Yi?"

Shui Gui, having experienced the Shen Ting prototype, pieced together the events smoothly, but his face grew heavier with each word.

Sang Lao knew what he was worried about:

"Our opponent might never have been Yue Gongli from the start..."

"Just one intent avatar is this strong, strong enough to have a Shen Ting prototype—what level must the true body be?"

"The ancestral tree branch came through the Lun Hui Tian Sheng Zhu, so is its true body in the eighteenth level? Or, to be bolder, in the thirty-third?"

"If so, 'Feather rising through the three realms, to see the true name'... has she already seen Zhan Shen Guan Ran Ming?"

"What happened there?"

What happened in the eighteenth or thirty-third level, Xu Xiaoshou didn't know.

He only saw the present—the ancestral tree's true body had descended, and even Shen Yi had been gutted!

"He..."

Xu Xiaoshou hesitated.

With the ancestral tree's true body here, were they still just watching?

Could they really stay this calm and discuss it?

Sang Lao and Shui Gui didn't respond.

Cen Qiaofu looked over, reaching out as if to pat Xu Xiaoshou's shoulder, then stopped and chuckled:

"Little guy, he's Shen Yi."

"Interesting."

Even with the ancestral tree branch through his chest, Shen Yi could still laugh.

"Is this all you've got against me?"

He suddenly grabbed the branch in his chest with both hands, which was voraciously draining his life force, but instead of pulling it out, he yanked it violently toward the back.

Space twisted.

The strange array formed from Cheng Guanglu's blood rain staggered forward like a living being, moving several meters along the branch.

At the same time, the same pattern lit up on the Lun Hui Tian Sheng Zhu.

In that moment, everyone saw what they hadn't seen before:

The ancestral tree branch extended beyond what was in Shen Yi's hand and the blood rain array—further back, it connected through the array to the Lun Hui Tian Sheng Zhu, then climbed up the pillar to the unseen level above.

It looked like...

A branch had descended from above, winding through to finally stab Shen Yi.

But Shen Yi's violent pull made the entire branch's trail fully visible.

"She panicked!"

Indeed, after exposing itself, the ancestral tree realized the stab had pierced Shen Yi, but this human wasn't easy to kill, so it panicked.

It writhed and struggled, trying to withdraw from Shen Yi's hand, retreat through the blood rain array and Lun Hui Tian Sheng Zhu array, back to the level above.

Shen Yi gripped the branch with one hand, refusing to let go.

"She got greedy." Shui Gui smiled.

"That's right. If she could cut her losses now, she might still survive by retreating to her lair." Sang Lao also smiled.

"But she won't. If she could, she wouldn't have bothered testing this move to save her intent avatar, which is already doomed in the first level." Shui Gui shook his head slowly.

From the beginning, he and Sang Lao had almost blindly trusted Shen Yi, not believing he could be killed so easily.

Even after Shen Yi was successfully ambushed, they had no urge to help.

It was as if, as long as it was Shen Yi...

One person could handle everything!

"Isn't that giving Shi Zun Zuo way too much trust?" That was what Xu Xiaoshou thought.

Soon, he saw why the old folks were so confident.

Chi chi chi chi chi!

The ancestral tree branch struggled in vain, suddenly swelling and splitting into six thick branches, draining fiercely while whipping down with force.

A massive boom mixed with dust waves exploded.

Shen Yi didn't fall; instead, his eyes flashed with ferocity as he roared:

"Xiu Luo Dao!"

In a shake, the bare-chested burly man transformed into a terrifying three-headed, six-armed monster, his body enveloped in substantial blood-red killing aura.

Slap slap slap slap slap!

The five branches whipped down, but Shen Yi's five arms caught them one by one.

With his remaining hand, he pulled out the main ancestral tree branch from his chest, and with all six arms, he yanked hard.

"Boom!"

The blood rain array shattered.

The Lun Hui Tian Sheng Zhu array shattered.

The ancestral tree's true body above seemed about to be pulled down to the first level, dragging out more black body parts.

The world fell silent.

The ancestral tree was stunned, as if unaware that a human body could be this barbaric!

Xiu Luo Shen Yi gripped the six branches tightly, not letting go, and sneered coldly:

"You're done for."

Hiss!!

The Di Ying Sheng Zhu let out a strange cry, finally realizing that even Shen Yi's earlier ferocious display was just a fraction of his power—maybe just the tip of the iceberg.

In her panic, she tried to withdraw her essence and retreat to the level above via the Lun Hui Tian Sheng Zhu.

But she couldn't pull free!

Cut her losses? It wasn't too late!

Slap slap slap slap...

The six ancestral tree branches broke off one after another, and the rest quickly retracted like fleeing from a tiger.

Shen Yi grabbed the severed main branch and stuffed it into the mouths of his three heads, as if it were the ultimate tonic.

He pursued relentlessly, shouting fiercely:

"Once you're here, don't think about leaving."

His foot shattered the void, and he thrust a punch.

"E Gui Dao!"

The ghost gate descended from the sky, enveloping Shen Yi's figure.

From behind the gate, countless hungry ghosts climbed up, their claws tearing at the sky.

"Come down!"

A mass of black tree branch soul was instantly grabbed by the three-headed, six-armed hungry ghost Shen Yi.

He tore it, stuffed it into his mouths, swallowed and digested...

Then tore more, stuffed it in, and the hungry ghosts kept eating...

Over and over!

"Hiss!"

"Hiss hiss hiss!!!"

The ancestral tree writhed in agony, its branches twisting wildly, smashing the void.

She was panicking.

This time, she was truly panicking.

The intent avatar left in the first level had no soul, so Shen Yi hadn't used E Gui Dao, and she thought this human wouldn't attack souls.

This time, she had split off her soul to come, intending to deliver a fatal blow at the critical moment.

But she hadn't even attacked, and Shen Yi had found her lair, intent on dragging her out to beat her senseless in front of everyone.

"Die!"

Xiu Luo E Gui Shen Yi devoured the ancestral tree's true body and soul alternately, fighting more fiercely and eating more voraciously.

The Di Ying Sheng Zhu perfectly embodied the nature of "greed" and "gambler's psychology."

Realizing that if she didn't cut off her soul, it would keep being pulled down and eaten, she finally steeled herself...

Cut her losses? It wasn't too late!

"Hiss!!"

With a miserable cry, the ancestral tree's true body, soul—every part that had infiltrated the lower realm—was completely severed.

But...

Hungry ghosts were hungry ghosts.

Would Shen Yi be satisfied with that?

"Ren Jian Dao!"

With a loud shout, Xiu Luo E Gui Shen Yi reverted to his human form, summoned the overlord's pillar with one hand, and slammed his palm heavily onto the Lun Hui Tian Sheng Zhu.

In that instant, the onlookers watched in shock.

Everyone knew that Ban Sheng Cheng Guanglu had lost his head and Ban Sheng position with just one touch of this.

Could Shen Yi survive?

"Bang!"

Sure enough, the same explosive force erupted on Shen Yi's bald head—a mass of ancestral god power that was terrifying in both quality and quantity.

But this time...

Shen Yi shook his head to dispel the dizziness and swallowed it whole.

"Xiu Luo Dao!"

As the three-headed, six-armed hungry ghost emerged, it seized the ancestral source power and devoured it piece by piece.

Xu Xiaoshou's mind spun.

Yue Gongli was also stunned.

Such a brute force way of breaking down evil god power was something both had seen for the first time...

This was ancestral source power!

Could that guy really digest it?

"Shen Yi has evolved again..."

Sang Lao turned back silently, exchanged a glance with the equally astonished Shui Gui, and looked back at the battlefield.

After the slap, the Lun Hui Tian Sheng Zhu lit up again.

Having withstood that burst of evil god power, a faint glow appeared on Shen Yi.

His body seemed to lose weight...

His soul detached from his flesh...

His will roamed freely...

"Feather rising!"

Xu Xiaoshou pondered.

So, holding the Lun Hui Tian Sheng Zhu really could allow one to feather rise to the upper level, to the eighteenth?

But Shen Yi...

This was too intense!

Others went to the eighteenth level for opportunities; he was going to chase the Di Ying Sheng Zhu's true body to chop and eat it?

You're short on tonics, but is this how you get them?

"The branch that probed down from above is certainly part of the ancestral tree's true body, but its power must be limited."

"If he really goes to the Di Ying Sheng Zhu's territory, it's not certain Shen Yi would still have the upper hand!"

Xu Xiaoshou thought of this and looked at Sang Lao.

Sang Lao adjusted his straw hat, clearly knowing his doubt, but just shook his head slightly.

Xu Xiaoshou then looked at Shui Gui.

Shui Gui smiled too.

Really? You're all this confident?

This was Shen Zhi Yi Ji—what if this was Shen Yi's downfall?

Cen Qiaofu found it amusing and laughed: "Shen Yi never retreats."

"Buzz!"

A strange hum arose.

Yes, Shen Yi never retreats.

But the Di Ying Sheng Zhu was terrified of this madman and retreated at the last moment, causing the light on the Lun Hui Tian Sheng Zhu to vanish.

Shen Yi stopped his feather rising and returned to his original spot.

"The Lun Hui Tian Sheng Zhu has failed?"

Even Yue Gongli was shocked—this meant the Di Ying Sheng Zhu had taken full, outrageous control of Shen Zhi Yi Ji!

The chase was forcibly interrupted, and Shen Yi narrowed his eyes, still unsatisfied.

He even jumped in place a couple of times, as if that could feather rise him to the eighteenth level to find that great tonic.

No use!

Jump as he might.

With the failed Lun Hui Tian Sheng Zhu, no one could go to the upper level anymore.

"You won't escape..."

Gazing up at the sky, Shen Yi murmured before turning back to the battlefield.

"Received gaze, passive value, 1."

Xu Xiaoshou hurried forward a step.

Yi Bao! My Yi Bao! Do you need anything?

Rest a bit before eating; I'm scared for the Di Ying Sheng Zhu—you're not just scaring the tree, you're scaring people too.

"Xu Xiaoshou."

"Yes, I'm here."

"Do you know what 'I' is?"

"What?"

At first, Xu Xiaoshou didn't get what Shen Yi was saying.

After a moment's thought, goosebumps rose all over him.

Wait...

Really, take a break!

Your pace is too fast!

The Di Ying Sheng Zhu is scared of you; she's retreated; she's shrunk back to the upper level!

Not just Xu Xiaoshou—Sang Lao, Shui Gui, Yue Gongli, and others felt a twinge in their hearts upon hearing this.

They saw Shen Yi's face calm as he spoke steadily:

"To discern 'I,' to transcend the Dao and transform, how to refine the spirit, I don't know."

"But in ancient martial arts, during the 'Four Sheddings,' one already touches the true meaning of 'I.'"

Pausing, Shen Yi raised his arm slightly, still calm:

"Watch closely; I'll teach you the 'Four Sheddings' now."