Chapter 1604: The Fox Halberd Pierces the Abdomen, Mother God Descends Upon the Pregnant Tomb

"Is that Dao Qiongcang?"

Feng Yujin stared blankly at the Nine-tailed Giant, then jolted and realized it was Xu Xiaoshou! But when had Xu Xiaoshou transformed to such an extent? His memory of this guy was still stuck at Blackwater Ravine in the Four Symbols Secret Realm.

After that, swept into the Divine Relic, Feng Yujin and Mo Mo had mostly secluded themselves in Snow Lotus Valley for cultivation to ensure their safety. Therefore, after the Four Symbols Secret Realm, Feng Yujin, who had confined himself, knew nothing of events like the Limit Giant battling the Sacred Emperor Qilin, or the Nine-tailed Giant dominating Jade Capital. "It's laughable that I even mocked him, thinking he couldn't solve the problem by himself?"

His gaze dropped. At this moment, not only was the Evil God's situation resolved, but even the Sacred Emperor's successor, Yue Gongli, whom Feng Yujin had been so worried about earlier... Now, under the combined effect of the Great Confinement Art and the Nine-tailed Giant's stomp, even with the protection of the Yin Spirit Coffin, Feng Yujin wasn't optimistic about Yue Gongli's condition. "Pfft..."

The giant deflated and shrank, and Xu Xiaoshou returned. All eyes were on him, collectively looking towards the spot where he had stomped earlier, resting on a coffin. Yes, a coffin, not just a coffin lid. Under the violent stomp, the Yin Spirit Coffin was now completely flattened, transformed from a cuboid into a rectangle. Seeing its thinness, everyone wondered if Yue Gongli had also become "Flat Yue Gongli."

"This is the first time I've seen one of the Ten Great Anomalous Weapons change shape due to external force. Can this coffin still be used?" someone mused. *Clack!* Just then, the coffin, barely a palm's width thick, was pushed open, and a blood-soaked Yue Gongli, whose nose bridge was flattened, crawled out.

The Yin Spirit Coffin contained its own space, so Yue Gongli's survival was no surprise to Xu Xiaoshou. He merely spun his Painted Dragon Halberd, placing its blade against Yue Gongli's neck. "Last words." "Wait, wait, wait!" Yue Gongli shivered in fright, his pleading gaze fixed on Xu Xiaoshou. "You can't kill me." "As long as the Evil God is alive, we are all allies, regardless of whether we are from Sacred Emperor families, Sacred Slaves, or anything else. In fact, the entire continent should be allies." At this, Yue Gongli wiped the blood from his eyes, then looked around, a look of surprise emerging on his face. "Are they all dead?" "Xu Xiaoshou, you're amazing!" A message popped up. "Received praise, Passive Point, +1."

"Are you done?" Xu Xiaoshou said expressionlessly. "Then die." He swung the Painted Dragon Halberd downwards. Yue Gongli screamed like a slaughtered chicken. "You can have the Yin Spirit Coffin, and I also have a Sacred Emperor Golden Edict! If there's anything else you really want, I'll find it for you, I'm very wealthy!" "Also, my soul blood is in the Evil God's hands!"

The Painted Dragon Halberd cut halfway into Yue Gongli's neck, blood gushing out, but it quickly stopped. Yue Gongli dared not resist in the slightest. How could he? Looking up, not only were the Eyes of the Netherworld Evil God and the Ancestral Tree branches completely swept away, but also the Sacred Slaves and the Four Evils of the Xuyue Gray Palace surrounding them, and even Dao Qiongcang, who remained silent in the background. All of this proclaimed that his life truly lay in Xu Xiaoshou's hands. Unless Xu Xiaoshou changed his mind, he was certainly going to die.

"Soul blood..." Upon hearing this, all the Sacred Slaves glanced at Dao Qiongcang. Dao Qiongcang merely smiled faintly, an expression of complete control on his face, remaining silent. Xu Xiaoshou already knew he had lost, and didn't care about these things. He also didn't want to take anything from Yue Gongli, fearing it might have some mark. He simply asked, "You said your soul blood is in the Evil God's hands. What do you mean?"

Yue Gongli carefully pushed aside the Painted Dragon Halberd, jumped out of the Yin Spirit Coffin, and obsequiously presented the flattened coffin. "He said that as long as I remain loyal to Him, even if I'm killed in this lower realm, He can resurrect me through my soul blood." "Are you threatening me?" Xu Xiaoshou's brows furrowed. "No, no, no..." Yue Gongli stammered, holding the coffin in front of himself. "I just mean, I won't die no matter what. I'm willing to cooperate with you, or rather, become your vanguard." "Once this body dies here, if I'm resurrected through soul blood, I'll only become the Evil God's pawn." "You still have emotions; if you cooperate with Him, I'm afraid you'll be eaten until not even bone fragments remain." "This is a very clear transaction: either friends or enemies. Lord Shou, you decide."

One halberd strike, and instead, an enemy would be created? Xu Xiaoshou couldn't help but frown. Firstly, he didn't fully believe Yue Gongli. Secondly, he wasn't sure if a strike would kill Yue Gongli or force out his strongest form. Finally...

"Nonsense." Just as he was weighing his options, Elder Sang sneered and stepped forward. "Even if you could survive, how much strength would you retain if resurrected through a drop of soul blood?" Good point! Xu Xiaoshou's eyes lit up. At that point, Yue Gongli would likely be easily dispatched by him, without any effort.

Yue Gongli, however, shook his head, his expression solemn. "I will be stronger." "Heh," Elder Sang scoffed. Yue Gongli glanced at him, then said earnestly, "Limited by this body, my power isn't perfect." "While I would indeed be weaker if resurrected by a drop of soul blood, by utilizing the Dao Infancy of the Creation Infant Sacred Plant, I would no longer be my former self. I would be able to balance the power of the Three Ancestors and fully unleash my combat capabilities." "At that time..." He looked towards Dao Qiongcang, who still refused to speak for him and remained in the background, then scoffed, "The Ten Sovereign Seats? I'll kill every single one I see!"

Elder Sang fell silent. After all, he had never witnessed "Dao Infancy" and couldn't tell if Yue Gongli's words were true or false, so he could only look back at Xu Xiaoshou. Xu Xiaoshou knew that a perfect Dao Infancy indeed existed, giving Yue Gongli's words some credibility. But the crucial point was...

"If you could become stronger, you would have already cooperated with the Evil God and the Creation Infant Sacred Plant back in the Eighteenth Heaven. Why would you be under my halberd now?" Xu Xiaoshou chose to refuse. Yue Gongli could only force a bitter smile. "I said, it's better to be friends with you all than to conspire with a tiger. Am I such a foolish person?" "Received sarcasm, Passive Point, +1."

Xu Xiaoshou paused, then became furious. "This guy dares to implicitly call me stupid?" He swept the halberd sideways, sending the Yin Spirit Coffin flying instantly. Yue Gongli staggered from the impact, and before he could recover, Xu Xiaoshou seemed to lose control for a moment. With a "whoosh," the Painted Dragon Halberd's blade, sharp enough to cut through iron like mud, effortlessly severed an arm.

The entire scene fell silent. Even Dao Qiongcang was stunned, not expecting Xu Xiaoshou to actually strike. "Aargh—" Moments later, a heart-wrenching scream echoed as Yue Gongli clutched his profusely bleeding severed arm, his face contorted. "Xu Xiaoshou, I'm going to kill you, I will definitely kill you!" "Even my sister wouldn't dare hit me like this! You cut off my arm?" "From now on, you'd better not let me catch you. If you fall into my hands..." "Oh?" Xu Xiaoshou flipped his halberd blade, its sharp edge gleaming. "I will definitely forgive you!" "Received forgiveness, Passive Point, +1."

Yue Gongli picked up his severed arm, trying to reattach it to stop the bleeding. "Xu Xiaoshou, I know you didn't do it on purpose. I don't hold grudges. I've already forgiven you, as long as you don't kill..." "I was intentional." "Hiccup?" Yue Gongli hiccupped, his words catching in his throat. It took him a long while before he dared to speak, "I'll forgive that too, I'll forgive that too!"

This fellow, he wouldn't even erupt at this point... Xu Xiaoshou almost believed that Yue Gongli was truly just like this, with no other power to turn the tide. If not for the traces of power he had seen Yue Gongli almost unleash earlier within the Yin Spirit Coffin. "What patience!" Everyone around felt the same astonishment. Patience is easy to say but hard to practice, especially for a Half-Saint to have an arm casually severed in plain sight. Yue Gongli truly acted as if nothing had happened. One must know, a Saint cannot be humiliated!

"What do you think?" Xu Xiaoshou looked at Elder Sang, conflicted. On one hand, he genuinely wanted to kill Yue Gongli to eliminate future troubles. On the other hand, he felt there was some truth to what Yue Gongli said. Rather than creating an enemy, it was better to temporarily be allies. This was the same reasoning as forming an alliance with Dao Qiongcang, because if the Netherworld Evil God dared to come once, there would be a second and third time. More people meant more power. But he had already severed Yue Gongli's arm... Cut the weeds but don't remove the roots, and they'll grow back with the spring breeze!

While Water Ghost, Cen Qiaofu, and others were still hesitating, Elder Sang had already pulled his straw hat over his face and waved his hand. "Kill him!" Yue Gongli's pupils trembled. *Oh, you merciless one, oh, you Sacred Slave Wu Xiu*, are you truly so heartless? "Please..." He was just about to beg for mercy. With a *whoosh*, the Painted Dragon Halberd pierced his chest so quickly that everyone thought they had blinked.

Cen Qiaofu's scalp tingled. Water Ghost's heart also stopped suddenly. Everyone around them became serious, retreating further and further, leaving ample space for a battleground. Blood gushed from his severed arm, blood splattered from his chest, and when Yue Gongli opened his mouth, he also spat out blood. "You..." He stared blankly down, only seeing the dragon-coiled shaft of the Painted Dragon Halberd. Even Elder Sang was startled by Xu Xiaoshou's ruthlessness. "You really killed him?" "You told me to kill him," Xu Xiaoshou said, tilting his head. "It was just a suggestion!" "But a good one." The entire crowd was speechless. At this moment, those who had survived the Evil God's cry were all extraordinary in strength, and their gazes towards Lord Shou held nothing but fear. "Received fear, Passive Point, +185."

"Spare... me..." "Xu Xiaoshou... I won't... seek revenge... spare me..." Xu Xiaoshou pulled out the Painted Dragon Halberd, then thrust it in again. He twisted the blade. This time, not only were Yue Gongli's ribs shattered, but his entire abdomen was shredded into mangled flesh. "Pfft!" Yue Gongli's eyeballs were bloodshot, almost bursting. "Otherwise... the Sacred Emperor..." "Don't you want... to know... where he is..." "Sorry, no need," Xu Xiaoshou said without lifting his head. "If he's not in the First Heaven or the Eighteenth Heaven, then he can only be in the highest Thirty-Three Heavens. I'll fight my way through them one by one." Still not erupting? You're dying, and you still won't act? Xu Xiaoshou had been on guard, expecting Yue Gongli to abandon his physical body and launch a powerful counterattack in the spiritual and mental realms to suppress and kill him.

"Netherworld... Evil God... isn't dead..." Yue Gongli's voice was barely a whisper, as if he were babbling incoherently. His eyes, devoid of all light, finally settled on Dao Qiongcang, who remained silent in the background, showing no emotion. Erupt? He *could* erupt! But only Yue Gongli himself knew that if it were just Elder Sang, Water Ghost, Cen, and Bai, and Xu Xiaoshou around, he would have a fifty percent chance to break through the encirclement and escape from the Limit Giant. But Dao Qiongcang had remained silent... No one understood Dao Qiongcang better than Yue Gongli. If this person truly intended to ally with Xu Xiaoshou and wanted to strike him down too... Yue Gongli admitted that his chances of breaking free from the encirclement were zero. Pleading might offer survival. Resistance would certainly lead to death.

"Let me go..." Yue Gongli's eyelids were heavy, and he was already seeing mirages. He tremblingly extended a finger, as if to touch something. "I can't... die..." "Sister... will be..." "Angry..."

*If you kill, kill completely; if you escort Buddha, escort him to the West.* Xu Xiaoshou hadn't originally intended to kill Yue Gongli, but given how things had escalated and how much he had offended him! "Whoosh!" He yanked out the Painted Dragon Halberd, summoned the Four Swords, and simultaneously activated his Dao Disc, summoning the Gates of Hell. With one sword, encompassing body, spirit, and will, he would utterly annihilate Yue Gongli. "Goodbye." As the menacing sword emerged, even Spiritmasters thousands of miles away felt Lord Shou's absolute killing intent. However, just as the black sword was about to pierce his brow, it was caught by a jade-white hand.

"Xu Xiaoshou, spare him." Dao Qiongcang had appeared in front of Yue Gongli at some unknown point. "My Dao," Xu Xiaoshou said, shaking his head slightly. "If you had spoken earlier, I would have given you face, but at this point..." "It's precisely at this point that it truly proves he genuinely doesn't want to return to the Evil God's embrace." "What he doesn't want, how does that concern me?" "Then consider it my plea on his behalf." "And who are you..." Xu Xiaoshou swallowed the words "to command" forcefully. He looked at Dao Qiongcang, who was smiling, then glanced back at the void, seeing no eyes belonging to a Heavenly Secret Puppet. He still retracted the Four Swords and sheathed Fushui. "Even Eight Venerables' face, I wouldn't give now. But if it's you..." "My Dao, I'll give you this face."

Dao Qiongcang's smile remained. "Thank you." He turned around, formed hand seals, and as the Scroll of Firmament unfurled, he continuously cast spells on the dying Yue Gongli: "Thirty-Six Heavenly Secret Forms, Great Protection Art!" "...Great Scrutiny Art!" "...Great Shielding Art!" "...Great Stripping Art!" "...Great Embroidery Art!"

Xu Xiaoshou watched quietly. From the perspective of Textile Mastery, he successively saw Dao Qiongcang repair Yue Gongli's injuries, find the void left by his soul blood, block the connection to his soul blood, and strip away the bloodline connection between them. Finally, the Great Embroidery Art, as if weaving life, completed the most fragmented corner of Yue Gongli's soul after he lost his soul blood. "Is he repairing a person as if they were a Heavenly Secret Puppet?" Xu Xiaoshou was secretly awestruck, no longer believing that soul blood could enslave a Half-Saint. From now on, regarding Dao Qiongcang, whether he was truly submissive or just feigning it, being his friend would be best. If friendship wasn't possible, killing him would be ideal. If he couldn't be killed, he absolutely could not be provoked.

"So, he really came to the lower realm to find you to resolve the soul blood matter?" Xu Xiaoshou brought it up himself. "I lost." "It's just that here in the First Heaven, the Netherworld Evil God's power is restricted, so I could help him resolve this trouble," Dao Qiongcang said, shaking his head. "If we were in a higher heaven, I fear the Netherworld Evil God would directly prevent any interference from me." "Indeed..." Xu Xiaoshou nodded in agreement. In this First Heaven, it was easier for him to defeat the Netherworld Evil God's manifestations, indicating that its power was significantly weakened.

"But for your sake, my friend, I've offended Yue Gongli to the point of no return, yet I've left him alive. This is a hidden danger." Xu Xiaoshou then pointed at the slowly awakening Yue Gongli. Dao Qiongcang cupped Yue Gongli with one hand, gently setting him on the ground, and calmly replied: "Eight Venerables has killed many people and spared many others." "He offended almost all the major sects and factions under heaven back then, but isn't he still living well now?" "As long as you grow fast enough, your enemies won't be able to catch up to you. As long as your deterrence before your decline is sufficient, they will fear you like a ferocious tiger." Killing one is a crime; slaughtering thousands makes you a hero. Slaughtering a million makes you the greatest hero of all! Xu Xiaoshou understood these principles; he didn't want to hear them.

Dao Qiongcang chuckled and added, "Don't worry, if he wants to seek revenge on you, he'll have to get past me first. Besides, your sparing Yue Gongli today will earn you the gratitude of Yue Gongnu." Yue Gongnu? Wasn't that just an outdated version of the Sacred Emperor's successor, who was incapable, usurped by his younger brother, and then imprisoned in the Cold Abyss due to being infatuated? Xu Xiaoshou merely smiled dismissively. He didn't even take Dao Qiongcang's guarantee seriously. He had spared Yue Gongli simply because the time wasn't right, a way of going along with the situation, not wanting to immediately start a war with the Five Great Sacred Emperor Families right after leaving the Divine Relic.

"Evil... Evil God!" Yue Gongli, lying on the ground and having somewhat recovered his senses, didn't mention being repeatedly stabbed earlier. Instead, he frantically grabbed Xu Xiaoshou's pant leg and said, "He sent me to the lower realm to invite Dao Qiongcang, which means, to invite you up." "If you don't go, I've betrayed Him, and He won't let it go." "Prepare yourselves, the Evil God is coming." As soon as these words were spoken, chaos erupted all around. Everyone looked left and right in alarm. "If he comes once, I'll kill him once. If he comes twice, I'll kill him twice," Xu Xiaoshou said, looking up at the sky. "If that's still not enough, I'll kill him again!"

Dao Qiongcang suddenly began calculating with his fingers, then his expression changed. "Xu Xiaoshou, I'm afraid he doesn't mean that." "What's wrong..." Xu Xiaoshou hated seeing fortune-tellers make such expressions the most. Then he heard Yue Gongli on the ground say, "Since you're so prepared, why would He descend from the heavens repeatedly just for you to kill Him?" Right, how could the Evil God be so foolish? But if not from the heavens, where else could He come from? Xu Xiaoshou frowned, then stared at Yue Gongli on the ground again. Yue Gongli froze, then realized and felt a chill. He clutched his chest and abdomen and cried out, "I'm really not the Evil God!"

"Oh?" Suddenly, a dull, foolish voice echoed from within the deep pit in the ground. The Six Marrow Corpse King, which had been flattened into a paper-thin figure, had somehow inflated back to its original form. Now, it rubbed its progressively swelling belly, a motherly smile appearing on its face.

Xu Xiaoshou's "Perception" flickered, and goosebumps broke out all over his body. He immediately turned his gaze to others. Everyone around, including Elder Sang, Water Ghost, as well as Bai Zhou and Yue Gongli, all had their bellies swelling up. The Half-Saints were like this; the remaining people nearby were even worse, each acting as if possessed by a mother goddess, overflowing with extraordinary maternal affection. "Oh, baby, I have a baby?" "My darling, you're finally here, my child, the child I've waited thirty-six years for?" "Is that you, my little girl? Do you still know your way home? Mommy was wrong, Mommy shouldn't have kissed you away back then..."

Hearing this, Xu Xiaoshou suddenly thought of something and looked down at himself. How strange. I've become strange. My belly, it's getting big? He aborted one pregnancy with a slap, only to find a second one arriving instantly, and his belly swelling even faster than before. Just as he was about to slap again, an exclamation echoed in his ear: "Stop!"

Xu Xiaoshou turned his head, his mind buzzing with shock, feeling as if his eyes had been defiled by something. Dao Qiongcang's entire body was riddled with countless swollen lumps of flesh, as if he were pregnant with ten thousand fetuses simultaneously. Xu Xiaoshou collapsed. "No, can every part of your body give birth?"