Chapter 1580: Under the Dragon Halberd, No Bones Remain; Beast Breaks Free for Extreme Rebirth

"Yes, why didn't I dodge?"

This young man was truly unparalleled. The moment his divine perception activated, it was as if an ancestral god had descended, moving so swiftly that I couldn't even protect She Ji.

Right before me…

Completely powerless…

"Ugh." Tai Zai Ci struggled to lift his heavy eyelids, seeing the blood-stained golden giant before him, now as blinding and radiant as the fierce sun.

Behind the giant, another seemed to loom, its gaze so dominating that it immobilized both body and spirit.

"Can't win!"

"Absolutely can't win!"

Even if I gave it my all, as long as I couldn't keep up with his speed, he'd toy with me like a monkey. The only option now is to retreat!

A creaking sound—

His fist clenched tightly, raising the Hua Long Ji high.

Faced with such overwhelming pressure, it didn't crush Tai Zai Ci. Instead, it made his blood surge faster through his veins.

A power surged from deep within his bloodline, flowing from an unknown source and instantly filling his limbs and bones. It burst forth as if shattering some invisible shackles.

"Roar!!!"

Tai Zai Ci let out a beast-like roar unlike any human sound, his eyes blazing with renewed fighting spirit. He suddenly realized he was being influenced by the other's guiding force.

It was guiding him to avoid battle, to retreat, to be cowardly, to turn back…

If he did that, what followed would be a storm of devastating attacks, leaving him no chance to strike back or or even catch his breath.

But as a descendant of the War God, how could he know fear in battle?

And how could the divine perception of that giant truly have no counter in this world?

"Hah!"

He swung the Hua Long Ji through the air, shattering the vast earth.

Tai Zai Ci's hundred-zhang form grew even larger, his vital energy igniting and producing wisps of black mist.

"War God Blood, ignite!"

"War God Stance, activate!"

A rumbling echoed—

With his explosive shout, rings of black energy waves rolled out, distorting the space around them.

From the ground, a massive black pillar of energy shot up like a volcanic eruption, instantly engulfing Tai Zai Ci, now thousands of zhang tall.

"Battle!"

His fierce gaze swept around.

The energy shattered into writhing black dragons, coiling around his limbs and armor.

In that moment, with the Hua Long Ji pointed at the earth, Tai Zai Ci truly seemed possessed by the War God, unstoppable and mighty!

"Retreat, retreat, retreat!"

Sang Lao waved his hands frantically, urging the nearby sages to quickly distance themselves from the battlefield.

"The War God Blood has activated—this is his strongest form."

"The innate ancestral source power is beyond anything from acquired insights. Talent… tsk!"

Talent was truly despairing.

Never mind the Ten Venerables; Tai Zai Ci had only just become a sage and already awakened his War God bloodline.

Meanwhile, after years of hard work and sweat, Sang Lao had barely managed to develop his insight power, yet it still fell short of the threshold for battle.

"To fight Tai Zai Ci in this form…"

Sang Lao and Shui Gui both sensed it—only super-transformed insight power could stand a chance.

Xu Xiao Shou might give it a try.

But they couldn't even attempt it; trying would mean death.

"You have fire-based insights, plus the second-generation Che God Niàn. You could try to go up and help him." Bai Zhuo's eyes darted around as he said to Sang Lao.

Talent like that was truly infuriating. Everyone was just newly sealed as sages, and yet he had insights rivaling ancestral source power.

Indeed, properly comprehending the dao on the throne was the right path.

As the saying went: Fail to comprehend in youth, and regret as a half-sage.

But Sang Lao, upon hearing this, just looked far off at Xu Xiao Shou and sneered, "Help him? I'm afraid if he goes mad, he'll take me down too!"

He knew better than anyone the extent of Xu Xiao Shou's madness.

Even the tolerant and magnanimous Way of the Royal Recipient came from him, so how could Sang Lao not realize this guy was far more than that?

As Xu Xiao Shou would say…

Tai Zai Ci was now pushed to his breaking point.

But who could have thought that kid would force Tai Zai Ci to that point so quickly?

And someone who could easily drive others to their limits—his own limits were unfathomable.

So, this wasn't the time to help Xu Xiao Shou.

It was time to worry about not becoming a burden like She Ji and the Twelve Sage Lords!

Shui Gui glanced over.

He spoke bluntly, hitting Bai Zhuo right in the heart:

"Watch out for yourself. Anyway, I probably won't be the first to die—I'm a half-sage with insights."

As the saying went, the pain is in my heart when the wound is on you.

After hearing that, Cen Qiao Fu shuddered and ran even faster.

"Hedgehog, hold him off! I don't want to end up like She Ji under the Hua Long Ji!"

"Locked on, passive value: 1."

"Ambushed, passive value: 1."

Xu Xiao Shou was just analyzing whether the lightning-fast black power from Tai Zai Ci in his War God stance was War God force or beastly energy.

But then, an "ambushed" notification popped up.

With his 90 Intent Dao Discs, even without deliberate training or activating his divine perception, his combat awareness was at least at the third realm's advanced level.

Yet, even on guard, an "ambush" still occurred, showing just how incredibly fast Tai Zai Ci was now!

Extreme speed brought extreme attacks, especially from a thousand-zhang giant wielding one of the top ten anomalous weapons.

The giant leaped with his halberd, darkening the heavens and earth.

"Boom!"

The sound arrived before he did.

The mountains and rivers behind shattered first, and Xu Xiao Shou's berserk giant form had no desire to meet that edge head-on—it dodged desperately.

"Instant shift!"

The space dao disc unfolded.

Xu Xiao Shou teleported himself thousands of li away.

In the next second, he realized that choice was wrong.

The rules of the great dao, even amplified by the enlarged form and intense War God power of the Hua Long Ji, were shattering.

How could mere space fragments escape this calamity?

In the silent collapse, space fragments and time fragments vanished under the halberd's might.

With the spatiotemporal rules disrupted, Xu Xiao Shou's perfectly planned escape turned into a mere illusion.

When he regained his senses, he'd only shifted a few li forward before being forced out of the fragments.

That distance meant nothing against a thousand-zhang giant's leaping strike!

A sizzling sound—

In that moment, Xu Xiao Shou's mind felt like it was hit by an electric current, a wild beastly desire rising from his berserk giant form.

Think you can grow big? My extreme giant is even bigger!

But that thought was forcibly suppressed when he saw the halberd's blade, capable of cleaving heaven and earth.

"Give it a try?"

The berserk giant didn't grow larger; instead, it huddled up like a turtle as the halberd descended.

"Human Realm Dao!"

"Heaven Ancestor Power!"

"Dragon Ancestor Power!"

"Life Dao Disc!"

"Devour All!"

"Explosive Stance!"

"Immediate Realm Force Field!"

"Immovable Wisdom King!"

Every defensive power he had was thrown out in that near-death instant.

Yet, strangely, he didn't deploy the Four Swords or the Flame Python, not even a single defensive sword technique.

Faced with danger, the berserk giant chose to withstand it bare.

As the edge passed, the scene under the Hua Long Ji shifted—insight arrays unfolded, sword light appeared…

It was dazzling!

But…

"Is he insane?"

Far back, Bai Zhuo's face turned pale at the sight.

Those defensive techniques were strong enough against others, but to directly resist Tai Zai Ci in his War God stance?

"Doesn't Xu Xiao Shou have that extreme giant form? Why isn't he using it?"

Suddenly, Bai Zhuo's mind cleared, and he realized something, his expression turning to horror: "Could it be that the divine perception drained him? Is he just putting on a tough act, bluffing all along?"

As soon as he said that, Sang Lao and Shui Gui's faces changed.

Don't say it…

It was possible!

"Then Xu Xiao Shou is…"

"Xu Xiao Shou is done for!"

Compared to the temporary panic among the Sage Slaves.

The Twelve Sage Lords, already far away and watching through sage thoughts, were all delighted.

"He's absolutely done for, I tell you!"

"How dare he kill She Ji? Lord Tai Zai Ci's fury will change the heavens and earth—who does he think he is?"

"The War God power isn't a joke; it's an ancestral source force that grows stronger and braver with battle!"

"Die!!!"

The halberd fell like a mountain, the dragon's roar manic.

Before even touching the halberd's tip, the berserk giant felt the pain in his arms held out in front.

"Bang!"

Devour All couldn't swallow more ancestral source power and burst apart for the first time.

"Bang!"

The Immediate Realm Force Field's sharp lights were cut through like an ant shaking a tree against the surging War God power.

"Bang, bang, bang…"

The Explosive Stance was blasted apart.

The Life Insight was slashed to nothing.

When the heavy Hua Long Ji finally struck the Immovable Wisdom King-transformed berserk giant, Xu Xiao Shou felt his head about to split.

"Crack—"

It held for just a moment before Immovable Wisdom King shattered, sending Xu Xiao Shou deep into the ground, his body erupting in blood.

Yet, the red-eyed, manic War God stance Tai Zai Ci endured the backlash.

He paused slightly, then with his thousand-zhang form, channeled the force and viciously struck down at the berserk giant below, full of intense hatred and vengeance.

"Die for me!!!"

A thunderous boom—

The Hua Long Ji split the earth, black lightning cleaving through the golden light.

The berserk giant's arms shattered on impact, his body cracking open, and after a brief standoff with the halberd…

"Bang, bang, bang…"

He exploded into pieces.

Then, swept away by the Hua Long Ji, he was reduced to dust and vanished.

"Sand…"

The dust settled.

The heavens and earth fell into dead silence.

The halberd was slung back over his shoulder as Tai Zai Ci threw his head back in a long howl, his voice echoing across the world, exhilarating and satisfying:

"I am the War Sage Tai Zai Ci—who dares challenge from below?"

"Good!!!"

Witnessing this, the Twelve Sage Lords felt their blood rush to their heads, their eyes bloodshot as they couldn't help but pump their fists and smash the air repeatedly, overcome with exhilaration.

"The Recipient? Just a worthless fool!"

"In the face of Lord Tai Zai Ci, who dares act out?"

"The North Domain War Sage—this is the North Domain War Sage! How dare you, Xu Xiao Shou? How dare you!"

"No matter your tricks or schemes, I shatter them with one halberd—what can you do? You only have death!"

"I knew it, I knew… Ha ha ha, that kid couldn't even take one move from Lord Tai Zai Ci. How dare he provoke him, stimulate him? This is the War God! All he did was smear blood on Lord Tai Zai Ci's face—he's truly worthless!"

The Twelve Sage Lords kept lashing out at the corpse, as if it could erase the shame of their earlier retreat under the berserk giant's gaze and the nightmare etched in their souls.

If Xu Xiao Shou didn't die today, they'd hang their heads in the North Domain, unable to reclaim their dignity as sages. How could they mock the Jiang family half-sages from the North Domain?

They'd be worse than dogs!

But after Tai Zai Ci's halberd strike, history was rewritten.

What Recipient? What one roar shattering the Twelve Sages? All nonsense!

"It's time for us to clean up the mess!"

Kong Tong's eyes burned with fire as he raised his arm, and after the Twenty Sage Lords took pills to recover from their blood escape depletion, they charged back into the battlefield.

They would capture the four Sage Slaves and wash away the error and shame of not trusting Lord Tai Zai Ci.

Xu Xiao Shou, the first wave of the new era? Just a weak mortal trying to defy heaven, challenging sage might and failing—a pathetic fantasy before death!

"Charge back!"

"I want Wu Xiu!"

"Shui Gui is mine!"

"Then I'll take on that old guy one-on-one!"

"You all want the men, so that woman is mine—don't fight me, ha ha ha…"

"Dead? Is he dead?"

On the Sage Slaves' side, Bai Zhuo felt a chilling intent from several half-sage gazes locking onto him.

But his body wouldn't move, staring blankly at the battlefield, his mind replaying the gruesome scene of the berserk giant being obliterated under the dragon halberd.

"Why!"

"Has he gone mad?"

"He clearly had a chance—the super giant form, he could have transformed, he could have… had a chance!"

Bai Zhuo seemed more devastated than Xu Xiao Shou's own master, collapsing on the spot as he clutched his head, tears of blood streaming down, his killing intent growing thicker.

He suddenly turned and grabbed Sang Lao's shoulders:

"How did you teach your disciple? Huh?"

"How could he be so arrogant? How could he?!"

Shui Gui was stunned by Bai Zhuo's reaction, almost suspecting some hidden relationship between her and the Recipient.

Then he remembered—Bai Zhuo probably didn't care about Xu Xiao Shou's life, but the Ghost Beast…

With Xu Xiao Shou dead, the Ghost Beast host would perish too!

"Please calm down."

Sang Lao swatted away Bai Zhuo's hand.

He was shocked by Xu Xiao Shou's death but had a different thought:

Impossible.

This can't be.

Xu Xiao Shou cherished his life immensely; even in a ten-death, no-life situation, he'd fight for a slim chance. How could he be so reckless after seeing the War God stance?

The only way to explain this strangeness was…

"Did he do it on purpose?"

Realizing this, Sang Lao's pupils dilated, recalling the berserk giant's final, desperate gaze.

He knew Xu Xiao Shou well.

He clearly sensed that in the last instant, Xu Xiao Shou had considered berserk transformation but held it back.

And that gaze…

Sang Lao put himself in Xu Xiao Shou's place, as if he were the berserk giant at the end, arms wrapped around his body, looking up—what would he see?

"The Hua Long Ji!"

In that moment, everything connected.

Sang Lao suddenly understood—Xu Xiao Shou's final gaze was just like those times in the Spirit Repository Pavilion when refining pills, stealing glances at his cauldron with the dragon and phoenix in harmony—that fiery look of desire.

He wanted it!

He really wanted it!

But he wanted even more to test whether one of the top ten anomalous weapons, the Hua Long Ji, under such frenzied War God power, could withstand it and to what extent.

"But that's just too insane…"

Sang Lao figured it all out but nearly burst a blood vessel from anger.

Who would test someone else's weapon by facing it with their bare body, even risking being chopped to dust?

Madman!

This madman!

I'll beat him senseless, spank him until his butt blooms—whoever tries to stop me!

Sang Lao stepped forward, toward the battlefield, his demeanor growing frantic, completely ignoring the voices around him:

"Wu Xiu…"

"Sang Lao…"

"Sang Qi Ye, what are you doing!"

Bai Zhuo grabbed this old bald man's head, "The Twelve Sage Lords are coming—if we don't run, we're all done for!"

The thousand-zhang giant moved slightly, slowly turning.

Those massive, sun-like red pupils bore down from afar, terrifying beyond measure.

The Hua Long Ji's edge, now blood-stained, made the world pale in comparison.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…

The Twelve Sage Lords landed in the air, surrounding the three Sage Slaves and Palace Master Bai Zhuo.

Tai Zai Ci thrust the Hua Long Ji into the air, his voice deep as a drum, shaking the earth:

"Surrender, or die!"

"Gulp, gulp…"

Bai Zhuo raised his wine gourd and drained it in one go, black mist surging from his body as he hurled the gourd to the ground.

"Die?"

He stepped forward boldly, his eyes resolute as he looked up at the towering giant and coldly declared: "Even if the sky falls, I won't blink an eye. If you can kill me… ow."

Before he finished, Sang Lao yanked him back.

"What are you doing!"

His momentum was completely broken, and by his own ally no less—Bai Zhuo was utterly frustrated.

This master-disciple pair were both out of their minds!

Sang Lao just shook his head slightly at him.

Bai Zhuo's intent was noted, but seeing his readiness to die, he probably couldn't withstand even one strike from the Hua Long Ji.

Only Xu Xiao Shou…

Sang Lao was certain Xu Xiao Shou wasn't dead yet—he had the Life Insight; losing his body meant nothing.

He could rebirth from a single will!

But why hasn't he appeared? What is he waiting for…

"Wait!"

Sang Lao's face twitched suddenly, as if infested with wriggling maggots, his expression twisting wildly with utter disbelief.

Is he waiting for…

Me to beg him?

"Impossible! I'd die before shouting for him as master or begging him to save me!" Sang Lao's inner voice raged as he strode forward, arms outstretched in front of Bai Zhuo, as if heading to his own death.

Shui Gui sighed at the sight.

It's over—these two, master and disciple, were both insanely stubborn…

He didn't give Wu Xiu a chance to speak of death, cupping his hands to his mouth like a bullied little bird, swaying his waist and amplifying his voice with sage power to echo everywhere, crying out pitifully:

"Re—ci—pient—save—us—"

Everyone was stunned by that ear-piercing shout.

Bai Zhuo turned in a daze, Cen Qiao Fu was awestruck, and only Sang Lao looked at Shui Gui with a mix of complexity and a hint of gratitude.

"Has Xu Xiao Shou returned?"

The Twelve Sage Lords glanced around nervously, nearly retreating, but seeing no one, their faces flushed with humiliation.

"Even if he survived, he wouldn't dare show up!" Kong Tong bellowed, drowning out all other voices.

Tai Zai Ci's gaze was icy, not hesitating as he lifted the Hua Long Ji, ready to crush these delusional ants:

"Even if the Ancestral God came, he couldn't save you."

The halberd thrust down, swift as lightning.

Sang Lao's pupils widened further, realizing Shui Gui's call was futile, and closed his eyes, letting out a desperate roar:

"Xiao Shou, save me!!!"

Buzz—

Suddenly, the heavens and earth froze in time and space.

The Twelve Sage Lords and War Sage Tai Zai Ci's faces changed simultaneously—they felt the flow of time slow to a crawl.

Through their sage thoughts, at the spot where the berserk giant had fallen, a point of silver light bloomed, forming a Life Insight array that instantly spread across tens of thousands of li, weaving into the dao.

"Devour!"

With that single word, all spiritual energy and unclaimed sage power in the world was absorbed.

Even the life force from Tai Zai Ci and the Twelve Sage Lords was drawn in.

Infinite power outlined a magnificent human meridian diagram on the insight array.

Then, the diagram expanded endlessly, surpassing a hundred zhang, a thousand zhang.

Surpassing even the War God stance Tai Zai Ci, it grew toward the sky, expanding without limit.

Finally!

"Human Realm Dao!"

Rumble—

In an instant, the entire eighteenth layer of the Divine Relic shook.

A colossal figure emerged, clad in cloud robes, towering above the dome, its upper body unseen—the extreme giant!

Its body was covered in red-gold dragon scales, its waist adorned with nine soft white tails…

It descended from the clouds, its fierce face roaring:

"Sang Zi, don't fear—for master is here to save you!"

Boom, boom, boom—

Time and space shattered, the earth collapsed again.

Sang Lao blacked out, his six senses sealed.

The Twelve Sage Lords looked up, their eyes trembling uncontrollably.

Tai Zai Ci's Hua Long Ji hung in midair as he turned in shock, only to see a knee.

In that instant, Tai Zai Ci inhaled sharply.

A thousand zhang tall!

And that was just up to the knee!

What height was this thing?

In the reports, that so-called "sky-covering" extreme giant—was "sky-covering" not just a description, but literal?

"You…"

Tai Zai Ci parted his lips, struggling to speak: "You're not…"

He wanted to say, You're not dead?

Even if you could revive through soul or will, without a body, you should be weakened.

The might of War Sage Tai Zai Ci's halberd was evident; even if you revived, fleeing would be your only choice—how could you return?

But that sky-covering extreme giant!

It appeared so abruptly in the Divine Relic, awakened by the life diagram's spark, growing unreasonably large!

Tai Zai Ci shook his head, as if denying something: "You absolutely aren't Xu Xiao…"

The nine tails whipped through the air, tearing space and drowning his murmur.

"Done having your fun, meow?"

The extreme giant opened its massive maw, grinning eerily:

"Then it's my turn to have fun!"