Chapter 1571: Seven Days and the Turning of Feng Shui, Four Lives Nameless Please Kill Star

Spirit Dao Disk (26).

The first Dao Seed was planted, allowing the Spirit Dao Disk to be quantified. As expected, the Soul Dao truly couldn't compare to the Body Dao Disk. If not for the foundation of Ghost Sword Art, followed by Liu Fuyu's Sword of Fengdu, and the vast amount of fragmented soul cultivation experience from powerful experts he had absorbed along the way, at this point, he probably wouldn't even have broken the 20-point mark.

But all problems were non-existent in the face of tens of millions of passive points! Without any hesitation, Xu Xiaoshou made the most exhilarating decision: Keep pushing! Go all out!

Spirit Dao Disk (35).Spirit Dao Disk (48).Spirit Dao Disk (56).Spirit Dao Disk (80).

The diligent farmer finally felt the overwhelming rush of a bountiful harvest. By this point, the insights in his mind were like a surging flood pouring into his bladder, threatening to burst him. Xu Xiaoshou took a breather. He assimilated the Body Dao Disk's insights, then the Spirit Dao Disk's; he processed everything up to the Grand Dao transformation, then everything past 80. Then, he continued!

Spirit Dao Disk (81).Spirit Dao Disk (82).Spirit Dao Disk (90).

The world spun once more. That feeling of reaching the absolute limit, of touching the shackles, reappeared. This time, it was his soul that felt ethereal, as if it had completely shed its shell and was about to ascend to a higher plane. Previously, Xu Xiaoshou wasn't accustomed to this and needed some time to regain control of his body. This time, with his Body Dao Disk at 90 as a foundation, using himself as an anchor point, he could easily recall his soul through the self-anchoring method of the Swordless Art's Abandoned by Heaven.

"Success!""Two now!""Master Shou now has two ultimate profound meanings. Is his talent really that exceptional?"

They say "cultivation knows no time." Yet, Master Shou had only been cultivating for less than two days with his eyes closed. Although there was a long pause in between, his suspected soul profound meaning array diagram quickly reached completion after resuming operation. This was truly astonishing! Not to mention Void Level experts, even Spirit Refiners at the Throne Dao Realm wouldn't have such a short period of secluded enlightenment; it would be at least three to six months. But Xu Xiaoshou... This guy cultivates as easily as drinking water, all in one go?

"Tsk." Elder Sang glanced around at the people nearby. Unlike ancient martial arts, many people practiced the Soul Dao. Xu Xiaoshou had already completed his enlightenment and stopped, but most of the Spirit Refiners around him, who had entered a state of epiphany due to the Dao Rhythm's influence, had yet to emerge.

By this time, not a single person from the Holy Divine Palace could be seen near the Pillar of Reincarnation. Those who died, died; those who ascended, ascended. The remaining ones, whose strength was insufficient, no longer needed to risk their lives; some left, some hid, completely irrelevant to the grand scheme of things that followed.

"Should we wake him up?" Water Ghost raised his left palm and looked over: "Sixteen."

Yes, the Ancestral God Ranking had already updated twice, and Yue Gongli's number of Divine Fate Stars was infinitely approaching Xu Xiaoshou's. If he still hid one or two, he would now be qualified to seize the Ancestral God's Mandate. In theory, the Divine Ruins could then be shut down. No one had known that Xu Xiaoshou would need so long for enlightenment after sitting down. Although two days of enlightenment couldn't be considered long—this was breaking through the limit of profound meanings, in fact, it should be said that this time was too short, so short it instilled fear! But at this critical juncture, two days were indeed grueling. Yue Gongli had suddenly shifted from a passive to an active position; he was close to finding the key move to turn the tables.

"No rush." Elder Sang, however, looked quite pleased, without a shred of worry, and instead asked those beside him: "What is the most precious thing in the Divine Ruins?"

"The Ancestral God's Mandate?" Cen Qiaofu hesitated, then, recalling that everyone said there was an issue with the Ancestral God's Mandate, he changed his answer: "Divine Fate Stars?"

"Isn't that still the Ancestral God's Mandate?" Bai Zhou interjected. He was now, or at least he considered himself, in the same boat as the First Pavilion in the Sky.

"Then... the Demon Splitting Axe? The God Slaying Axe?" Cen Qiaofu drooled, "One is a supreme divine artifact, and the other is exclusive to the God Slayers..."

"You'd be quite suited for it," Elder Sang remarked, glancing at the small axe at his waist.

"Not that either?" The old woodsman understood his meaning. "Then what is it?"

"The Ran Ming legacy, of course!" Bai Zhou glanced at Xu Xiaoshou, hinting at something. Discern Myself, Transcendental Dao Transformation, Feathered Ascension to Three Realms, seeing True Names... Others might not, but Xu Xiaoshou truly had a chance.

Cen Qiaofu, however, shook his head. Although not stated directly, he had long discerned that Elder Sang and Water Ghost were not optimistic about the Ran Ming legacy. After all, even the World Tree's Infant-Forming Holy Plant had become so corrupted. To say that the Ran Ming legacy had not been tainted at all, or touched, or that the Ancestral Tree hadn't been tried to be infiltrated... Cen Qiaofu himself found it hard to believe.

Bai Zhou looked back and forth at the few people speaking in riddles, a bit annoyed: "What is it then?"

Elder Sang didn't keep him guessing, pointing to the ground beneath their feet: "The most precious thing in the Divine Ruins is the Divine Ruins itself."

Bai Zhou's mind whirled, nearly tying itself in knots. This statement was even more annoying than keeping him in suspense; it was utterly uncultured, beyond the comprehension even of someone of his Palace Master level.

"What do you mean?" Everyone's gaze turned towards him. Elder Sang, however, simply looked at his disciple, stating incisively: "Whether you meet God Slayer Ran Ming or not is another matter. The Divine Ruins' rules are of a very high level. Once the threshold to meet Him is reached, whether you actually meet Him or not becomes irrelevant. As for legacies, if they exist, pass them on; if not, create them. For the Ten Honorable Seats..." He paused, then Elder Sang chuckled: "For those with the qualifications of the Ten Honorable Seats, it holds little significance."

After a long moment of stunned silence, someone felt they had grasped something, yet couldn't articulate any insight. Instead, someone pointed at Master Shou, observing the profound meaning array diagram under him had changed again, and exclaimed in surprise: "It's not over yet!" "Master Shou has started again! What profound meaning is it this time?"

Passive Points: 6,124,892.Will Dao Disk (32).

The first Dao Seed was planted, and the value was quantified. Through basic addition and subtraction, Xu Xiaoshou had already calculated that he could achieve another ultimate Grand Dao Disk at 90.

"Phew..." He secretly breathed a sigh of relief. 32 was good. As someone with mild OCD, he was truly afraid the base value would only be 25 or 26. In that case, within these Divine Ruins where not many people could harm him, grinding for another three to five hundred thousand passive points would be a hundred times harder than "Feathered Ascension." Unless he challenged the Infant-Forming Holy Plant one-on-one, shamelessly letting it stab him repeatedly...

"Bring it on!" Attribute points, just attribute points! Today, I'll drain every last drop. At the very least, I'll build a foundation capable of contending with the former Ten Honorable Seats, to save for fighting that dog-lover!

Will Dao Disk (33).Will Dao Disk (44).Will Dao Disk (55).Will Dao Disk (82).Will Dao Disk (90).

Cultivation knows no time. For the first time, Xu Xiaoshou felt something so difficult to digest, especially after his 'mind' had already been stretched to its limit. He even forgot the passage of time; simply assimilating the vast ocean of Grand Dao knowledge pouring into his mind left him feeling completely drained. The time consumed was even greater than for the Spirit Dao Disk.

"Will...""Qi will, willpower, aura, thoughts..."

When the end finally pulled his wandering consciousness back into his body and soul, Xu Xiaoshou finally understood why his Will Dao Disk's initial value was higher than the Spirit Dao Disk's.

"Power of Guidance!""The understanding, application, forgetting, and guidance of consciousness...""I thought the Will Dao Disk was formed from 'Swallowing Mountains and Rivers,' focusing on momentum. I never imagined it involved the Sacred Emperor's power of guidance and oblivion. This connects to 'Spiritual Awakening.' It seems the formation of the Will Dao Disk is also related to 'Illusory Demise Finger.' So, my gradual desensitization to the powers of guidance and oblivion isn't just due to my strengthened cultivation realm and increased passive skill levels, but also because of the Will Dao Disk, which has grown and developed from constantly resisting the guidance and oblivion powers of various Sacred Emperors?"

Tracing back, it went too far into antiquity. As early as the Spirit Palace era, Xu Xiaoshou had been subjected to a great deal of "subtle" guidance. From Old Eight, Elder Sang, Patriarch Jinzhao, Dao Qiongcang, Bei Huai... Again and again, the "self" was sculpted by outsiders, leading to the rapid formation of his own thoughts and consciousness. If calculated, this Will Dao Disk already involved a touch of the "Discern Myself" realm.

So... "Is this why I can see Kong Yuhen?" The formation of a 90-point Will Dao Disk allowed Xu Xiaoshou to comprehend many things in a short period. Kong Yuhen must also have a lot of certainty in terms of "will," having forgotten "self," and thus has been searching...

Turning back, while the gains were significant, the cost was also extremely high.

Passive Points: 224,892.

Tens of millions of passive points, peaking at eighty to ninety million, almost a hundred million, had finally dwindled to a dismal two hundred thousand after continuous spending. Two hundred thousand, thrown into the Sword Dao Disk, wouldn't even make a ripple. Compared to the current consumption of hundreds of thousands or millions of passive points, it was essentially equivalent to having zero passive points in the early stages.

"Finally..." Xu Xiaoshou ended his daze, opening his eyes. I'm poor. But I'm also stronger!

"He's awake!" They had waited and waited. When that strange profound meaning array diagram, which no one understood, also broke through its limit and reached a realm of unknown heights, Master Shou opened his eyes. Everyone immediately felt a huge weight lift from their chests.

"Heavens above, you've finally opened your eyes and let him wake up! He truly couldn't go on like that!"

Another transcendence... Water Ghost also stared blankly at the profound meaning array diagram slowly dissipating beneath Xu Xiaoshou, his expression shifting from initial surprise to numbness. It seemed the Ten Honorable Seats existed in this world simply to suppress geniuses like him. And the rebirth of Xu Xiaoshou was to challenge the Ten Honorable Seats. Who could defend the throne they had desperately seized back then, when this guy, about to leave everyone in the dust, launched his final charge?

"You're awake?" Elder Sang looked at his beloved disciple with satisfaction.

"What else, my dear disciple?" Xu Xiaoshou blinked after standing up, indicating that his eyes were too big to be used for sleeping with them open.

"Heh heh..." Elder Sang turned his head, bared his teeth fiercely at the air, then chuckled as he looked back at his rebellious disciple, "Did you succeed?"

Xu Xiaoshou glared again, his mouth just beginning to move.

"Never mind," Elder Sang quickly waved his hand. Now, even speaking felt like burning his tongue. After so many years, Elder Sang wondered if his rhetorical ability, as leader of Burning Lute, had been stolen after taking on this disciple. How could this kid be so vexing?

"How many days did I sleep?" As Xu Xiaoshou spoke, he first looked into the distance, finding the Pillar of Reincarnation's light dim. Not only Yue Gongli, but no figures from the Holy Divine Palace were anywhere to be seen. The surroundings were eerily silent.

"Seven days." Cen Qiaofu expanded his chest and twisted his neck, producing a series of cracking sounds, like a stone golem activating its body for battle.

"Seven days?" Xu Xiaoshou was greatly startled. This enlightenment lasted seven days? That's almost a quarter of the time I spent receiving the Heavenly Ancestor's legacy. The Body, Spirit, and Will Disks took this long?

"Then that Moon Fox..." Xu Xiaoshou paused in his words, not waiting for an explanation, and quickly raised his left hand. As his spiritual thought touched it, the Ancestral God Ranking immediately popped up:

1. Xu Xiaoshou, 18.2. Yue Gongli, 18.3. Taizai Ci, 1.4. Hua Yuan, 1.5. Rao Wangze, 1.6. Cao Erzhu, 1.

Silence. Long silence. Xu Xiaoshou stared at the Ancestral God Ranking. Elder Sang, Water Ghost, Cen Qiaofu, and others watched him. Many people had left, and the remaining ones gazed at these Holy Slave big shots. Only Bai Zhou continued pacing impatiently, visibly agitated. His "tap-tap" footsteps only accentuated the surrounding stillness.

After a long while, Xu Xiaoshou spoke, smiling playfully: "Cao Erzhu was here? He's my friend!"

"Mhm." Cen Qiaofu tightened the small axe at his waist. "He came to see you, saw you cultivating, and didn't disturb you. He shouted something like 'Are kings, princes, generals, and ministers born to rule?' and then ascended..."

"What?" Xu Xiaoshou was startled and wanted to ask more. Cen Qiaofu finished speaking, seemed to have more to say, but before he could, Water Ghost shot him a look, silencing him.

Xu Xiaoshou finally noticed the atmosphere was off. He looked back at the second name on the Ancestral God Ranking and cut straight to the point: "The Moon Fox also gathered eighteen Divine Fate Stars?"

"Are your eyes so big just for sleeping?" Elder Sang retorted.

"This Taizai Ci..."

"Love for the Common People is not useless. He just can't leave the Divine Ruins. You can treat him as the strongest demi-saint... Hmm, he should have gathered 'a group of demi-saints' as well."

"Then this Hua Yuan..."

"No doubt, Yue Bei Hua Rao Dao."

"This Rao Wang... What! Rao Wang... Sacred Emperor Wangze?!"

"Heh, isn't the Ancestral God's Mandate originally what Sacred Emperors covet most? You didn't even anticipate this?"

Xu Xiaoshou fell silent again. *Alright, you! Your words are so unpleasant now?* Elder Sang, however, was beaming, as if each name on the list brought great joy. Seeing Xu Xiaoshou stop asking questions, he even chuckled again: "They are all waiting for you."

"They're all from the Holy Divine Palace?" Xu Xiaoshou still couldn't believe so much could happen in seven days.

Elder Sang chuckled: "Isn't Master Shou usually sharp-tongued? Why is he spouting nonsense today?"

Xu Xiaoshou almost blurted out, "You're truly outrageous!" but then he thought, *Wait, I'm the disciple.* *It seems the previous slaps weren't painful enough. As expected of Wu Yi's Crimson Scorched Body, it's bouncing around full of life again? Forget it, he's old, I'll give him a pass...*

"Did you eat gunpowder? Why are you so aggressive?" Xu Xiaoshou mumbled.

"I wasn't aggressive initially, now I'm moderately aggressive." Elder Sang retorted one more time, but his expression returned to calm, no longer smiling.

Xu Xiaoshou couldn't help but avert his eyes from the Ancestral God Ranking in his hand and look up. With that look, he realized that besides Elder Sang, even Water Ghost's expression was grim. The Holy Slaves and quasi-Holy Slaves gathered around them all had their heads and shoulders drooped, as if several spirits were sitting on their shoulders, weighing them down. His witty remarks got stuck in his throat, unable to come out for a moment. Wasn't this scene exactly what Yue Gongli's subordinates had experienced before—how the tables have turned?

"Was I wrong?" Xu Xiaoshou suddenly felt like he had done something wrong. If, at that time, he had insisted on keeping Shen Yi and united everyone's strength to kill Yue Gongli, would there not be so many unforeseen complications now?

Elder Sang, for once, shook his head, not retorting to his rebellious disciple this time: "Yue Gongli isn't that easy to kill. Anyone can be wrong, but your choice for these seven days was absolutely not wrong!"

Water Ghost wholeheartedly agreed with this statement. No matter the cost, it was far less significant than the gains from Xu Xiaoshou's enlightenment this time. Epiphany cannot be interrupted, because if it's interrupted, it's gone—this is common knowledge among all Spirit Refiners! Things had not yet reached an irreversible point. Because even if things went south, they still had the last resort of waking Xu Xiaoshou. Fortunately, it hadn't come to that.

"Sacred Emperor..." Xu Xiaoshou squinted, and his "Perception" scanned the dispirited people around him again, realizing that indeed many fewer people were present. Perhaps during the days of his enlightenment, people had successively left this place to seek opportunities. The remaining ones were Elder Sang's old Burning Lute subordinates, along with some Holy Slaves and half-familiar faces from the First Pavilion in the Sky. He felt that something else was strange, but he couldn't put his finger on it!

"Sacred Emperor Wangze even appeared, and you all are still alive?" This casual question suddenly stumped everyone; not even Elder Sang retorted immediately. Xu Xiaoshou's eyelids twitched. Realizing something was wrong, he looked at Water Ghost with a grave expression: "Rao Wangze appeared, and you're still alive?"

Water Ghost's mouth twisted: "Why were the Holy Divine Palace people able to live under your nose back then?"

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes immediately narrowed. So, after seven days, the Holy Divine Palace had gained the upper hand, using the Holy Slaves as stepping stones? Was this the fundamental reason why Yue Gongli didn't continue his actions after gathering eighteen Divine Fate Stars? He wanted Xu Xiaoshou to make the first move?

Sweeping his gaze around again, Xu Xiaoshou noticed that the grim, suffocating feeling seemed even heavier on everyone. His face darkened. He looked at Sang, Cen, Water, and Bai, then asked again: "Then why are *you* still alive?" *Since their target was just me, the Holy Slave's second-in-command, fourth-in-command, fifth-in-command, and the Palace Master of the Xuyue Grey Palace, you should all be dead!*

Bai Zhou was already impatient. Without waiting for the Holy Slaves to speak, he glared coldly and growled: "Xu Xiaoshou, are you an idiot? The Holy Slaves can play with you, but I don't have time to waste! Sacred Emperor Wangze came. Seeing you weren't awake, he didn't rush you. He just said he'd kill one person a day until you woke up and went to meet him in the upper realm!"

Xu Xiaoshou's heart sank. He once again used "Perception" to survey the people around him, finally understanding why that lingering grim feeling had been present since he woke up... And under these circumstances, Elder Sang was still joking with him?

"You!" Xu Xiaoshou opened his mouth, his emotions surging like a tide, yet he couldn't blame Elder Sang. "I!" He looked at the people around him, wanting to speak but hesitating. Finally, his expression became calm as he looked back at Bai Zhou: "Tell me in detail."

"What more is there to say?" Bai Zhou took a swig of wine and sneered, "Four Void Level Holy Slaves are already dead! If you don't wake up tomorrow, more will die! Your master probably wouldn't call you unless *he* was about to die!"

Xu Xiaoshou's breath hitched. He almost turned back to furiously scold these Holy Slave big shots, but then stopped himself. *Yes, in their eyes, I was in an epiphany, a super enlightenment state that was once in a lifetime. A few Void Level lives for three profound meanings that transcend limits—was it worth it?*

—Absolutely worth it!

In an instant, Xu Xiaoshou also realized why Rao Wangze had come, and why he didn't attack Elder Sang, Water Ghost, and the others, only taking the lives of the lower-ranking Holy Slaves. *These were profound meanings that transcended limits! Since Rao Wangze came for the Ancestral God's Mandate, would he not covet such "Transcendental Dao Transformation" that was a level higher than the Mandate itself? If he were to attack Elder Sang or Water Ghost, others would certainly wake me first. In that case, he wouldn't be able to see the most perfect realm of this transcendental dao transformation, and seizing it wouldn't be as good. And in his eyes, even if I won a round on Void Island, would I become an "enemy"? I merely borrowed the power of the Four Divine Pillars... I merely defeated a Sacred Emperor's thought incarnation restricted by the Heavenly Ancestor's spirit... That was all! It meant nothing!*

Thinking of this, Xu Xiaoshou clenched his fists. Everyone around him stared at him, their gazes intense, burning, unwilling, but without resentment! They had placed all their hope on him, their newly appointed second-in-command of the Holy Slaves, because of two words... Master Shou! Master Shou had become a legend!

Xu Xiaoshou felt he had failed his mission and wanted to say "sorry," but... *What good would "sorry" do? And how could I explain it? "I was just playing around, I didn't take the Divine Ruins seriously at all. With so many big shots around, I was too absorbed in cultivation and enlightenment, to the point of forgetting your lives and deaths?"* Yes, Xu Xiaoshou didn't even know who those deceased Void Level cultivators were, or what they looked like.

He remained silent for a long time, finally taking a deep breath, looking past all the ardent and expectant gazes, his eyes unfocused as he glanced at Elder Sang, his voice hoarse: "Next time this happens, wake me up immediately."

Elder Sang scoffed through his nose, turning his head, his expression calm and chilling, just as it had been during their first meeting in the Heavenly Sang Spirit Palace: "You know I won't."

Xu Xiaoshou's brow furrowed. He almost moved to violently beat up this old Sang, and even wanted to say, "Are you stupid? I can actually have an epiphany anytime!" His words stuck in his throat. His outstretched hand paused in mid-air. He took a deep look at Elder Sang, then took a deep breath, withdrew his gaze, and said nothing more on the matter. He slowly turned his head to look at the murky sky, his deep eyes shadowed with a hint of grimness.

Rao... Wang... Ze...

"Let's go." At this moment, Xu Xiaoshou was as calm as the Holy Slave's second-in-command, his voice completely devoid of ripples.

Bai Zhou impatiently ran a hand through his hair and took another big swig of wine: "Where can we go? Right now, we can only summon the Pillar of Reincarnation! That guy might have already dug a pit and is waiting for us, and our current situation is even more dire than Yue Gongli's back then..."

"I'll summon it." Xu Xiaoshou flicked his sleeve, which turned into flying ash, like scorched leaves swirling away.

"Then what?" Bai Zhou looked over, and everyone else did too.

"Then..." Xu Xiaoshou still gazed at the sky. "We kill our way to the sky."