Chapter 1621: Pan Zhu Divination and Fate Changing, Heaven Says the Sky I Shall Defy

Snap.

Xu Xiaoshou, with a flick of his wrist, captured the spatial image, recorded it into a self-made recording orb, and then hid the orb within his inner world.

After mastering the Spatial Profundity, every cell in his body could be transformed into a miniature world. Even if the surrounding Dao laws crumbled and his spiritual energy was depleted, with a single thought, he could still manifest anything he desired.

Xu Xiaoshou now rarely used spatial rings. At most, he'd put a few shallow items in one to make others mistakenly believe he took things from the ring. In reality, apart from the Apricot Realm, most of his current treasures were stored within his inner world.

Inside, there was Yue Gongli, who underwent a cesarean birth; Sang Qiye, who cried "Xiaoshou, save me!"; and many, many Dao Qiongcangs... all of them were debts that could be converted into tangible resources!

After recording the cowering Feng Yujin, he acted as if it were a trivial matter, forever trampling the title "Heavenly Sealing Saint Emperor" underfoot in his mind.

"God Slasher?"

Turning to look at the gigantic figure behind the starlit desk, Xu Xiaoshou's expression grew serious. Without a doubt, this giant's image was the same one revealed when the Dyeing Tea Ruins first appeared.

At that time, a stellar scroll, akin to a Saint Emperor's Golden Edict, proclaimed to the world:

"Chant My True Name, Receive Reincarnation.""Divine Officials Oversee Fates, All Sentient Beings Are Equal."

Consequently, everyone on the Saint God Continent believed that after so many years, they had finally found true fairness. The so-called Dyeing Tea Ruins were accessible to young cultivators training in the Four Symbols Secret Realm, to prisoners serving sentences in the Dead Sea, and to fanatics self-imprisoned in the City of Pagodas. From top to bottom, old and young, whether high-ranking nobility or lowly servants, as long as they possessed spiritual energy, they gained the qualification to ascend to great heights.

Now, it seemed...

"Heh!"

Xu Xiaoshou smiled. Half-Saint Profound Edicts, Saint Emperor's Golden Edicts, Divine Oracles... Today, he finally understood why the God Slasher only manifested power akin to a Saint Emperor's Golden Edict when it appeared back then. It wasn't just because using that stellar scroll to proclaim to the world seemed extremely sacred and "fair." Half-Saint Profound Edicts and Saint Emperor's Golden Edicts could have their personal markings erased, but the Ten Ancestors' Divine Oracles could not; their markings were too distinct. The God Slasher could only produce the Divine Oracle of God Slasher Dyeing Tea.

However, the God Slasher before him simply couldn't produce Dyeing Tea's Divine Oracle to declare to the world, because...

Their true name was Suiyin!

"Xu Xiaoshou?!"

Feng Yujin's soul form, bound to the torture pillar, seemed to finally regain his senses at this moment, emerging from the shock of seeing those people arrive. They had all heard...

With that thought flashing through his mind, Feng Yujin's old face flushed crimson. He didn't know how he could salvage his dignified image as a Saint Emperor. But now, he had little time to bother with feelings of shame or the like. He knew in his heart that the Evil God Suiyin was not Ba Zun'an; even if he surrendered, the rest of his life, if he lived, would be worse than that of a dog or pig.

If there was even a sliver of possibility he could escape this dire situation, hope lay nowhere else but with Xu and Dao.

Feng Yujin twisted his head, laughing wildly, almost maniacally, at the newcomers: "Hehehe, Xu Xiaoshou, Dao Qiongcang, you too have fallen to such a state, entering Dyeing Tea's Divine Court? This is the Ten Ancestors' Divine Court! Those who enter face certain death, and now, under my god Suiyin's control, its power has increased significantly! Even in the Sea of Bitterness, one can turn back; here, you will forever lose the chance to live, hehehe, hehehe..."

The mockery was blatant.

After his taunts, Feng Yujin quickly turned to the gigantic and sacred figure before the starlit desk, kowtowing repeatedly: "Suiyin, above all, how could your noble self personally deal with these petty wretches? Wouldn't that give them too much face? Please grant little Feng a chance, allow me to descend from the divine torture pillar, and let me serve you diligently, slaying these vile scoundrels!"

It must be said, such an abrupt shift from arrogance to servility, this bullying the weak and fearing the strong, truly opened the eyes of everyone present.

Heavenly Sealing Saint Emperor! You are a Saint Emperor! Purely in terms of cultivation realm, even Dao Qiongcang and Yue Gongli were far inferior to you, Feng Yujin. You were already a peerless master of the same level as Saint Emperor Wang Ze, Hua Changdeng, and the Resentful Buddha. Yet now, seeing this, what's the difference between your behavior, Feng Yujin, and that of a pug that only fawns on people?

"No wonder Ba Zun'an looked down on you." Xu Xiaoshou finally understood why, even during his most dire straits after the Battle of the White Cave, Ba Zun'an had never shown Feng Yujin a good attitude. He even felt that, if not absolutely necessary, Ba Zun'an wouldn't bother speaking to this person, as if it would taint himself. Could it be that back then, on the inner island of Void Island, Feng Yujin survived by relying on such fawning skills?

"Divine Court..."

Dao Qiongcang, however, paid little attention to Feng Yujin's repulsive display, focusing only on the useful information he had gathered since entering this place: The Evil God Suiyin had donned the skin of the God Slasher and now wielded the Divine Court, so powerful that even Feng Yujin was begging for his life in such a cowering manner. How was this somewhat similar to his worst previous predictions?

"Dao Embryo?""Or, Dyeing Tea's corpse?"

If it were the former, the situation wouldn't be beyond redemption. If it were the latter, Dao Qiongcang wouldn't want to struggle anymore. If Dyeing Tea had fallen, and even his complete corpse had been obtained by the Evil God Suiyin, then even if Dao Qiongcang were to swallow the Ancestral God's fate and forcibly seal an Ancestral God now, he would likely be beyond saving. He felt he needed to see whether Feng Yujin would live or die; if groveling could ensure survival... A man's knees are said to be worth gold; yet, when the time comes to use them, one often regrets not having more. Perhaps it wouldn't be impossible to kneel?

Several gazes wished to rise but dared not, wished to stare but dared not, all waiting for a result.

Suddenly, within the dead silence of the starlit Divine Court, the God Slasher's voice of disdain rang out: "Noisy."

With a mere flick of his sleeve, Dyeing Tea, from behind the starlit desk, caused Feng Yujin's soul form to shatter into eight pieces with a bang.

"Ahhh――""Spare me, spare me! I'll be your dog, I'm the best at being a dog, please spare..."

*Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!*

The eight soul fragments were then rapidly split into thirty-six, and Feng Yujin completely lost his voice. Amidst rumbling sounds, thirty-five divine torture pillars rose from all directions, complementing the existing one, forming a bizarre array. The thirty-six Saint Emperor soul fragments were separately bound and branded onto these thirty-six divine torture pillars. As the grand array activated, the starlit Divine Court's oppressive aura intensified, causing spatial black holes to burst forth and Dao laws to vanish without a trace.

"Bang!"

Cen Qiaofu's physical body exploded; before he could even cry out for help, his soul form disintegrated. Immediately after...

"Bang, bang, bang!"

Shui Gui, Bai Zhou, and Elder Sang had their physical bodies successively crushed, with their soul forms emerging. Dao Qiongcang was startled. He glanced around, just about to self-destruct and hide. But he found that the soul forms of Sang, Shui, Cen, Bai, and even Yue Gongli, had all been broken down and absorbed by the divine torture pillars. He quickly suppressed the impulse to explode his body for temporary safety and leave Xu Xiaoshou to face the difficulty alone. To resist Suiyin, Dao Qiongcang truly lacked the confidence relying solely on soul arts. If he could preserve his physical body, he should try to. Cooperating with Xu Xiaoshou, there might still be a glimmer of hope.

"So powerful!"

Immense pressure swept down from above; just by standing, Xu Xiaoshou's info panel kept popping up notifications:"Suppressed, Passive Value, 1.""Attacked, Passive Value, 1.""Plundered, Passive Value, 1."

His aura was completely suppressed. His physical body was distorted and on the verge of shattering under the Divine Court's suppression. Even his various powers were draining away as time passed.

"Buzz!"

As the formation disc activated, it melded into the unity of heaven and man. Xu Xiaoshou perceived the thirty-six divine torture pillars and realized that his power was being plundered by this array. This array was not only stealing his power but also Dao Qiongcang's. However, in reality, this was merely a byproduct. Its primary purpose was to extract Saint Emperor soul fragments, channeling all gathered power to an unknown location.

Dyeing Tea? Or, the Divine Court?

"Thirty-Six Divine Torture Soul-Drawing Array?"

Beside him, Dao Qiongcang suddenly lifted his gaze. This time, he chose to look directly at the Ancestral God, and only by exploding his two eyes did he manage to preserve his head. In his hand, he tightly clutched the Ancestral God's fate that Cen Qiaofu had desperately seized, continuously drawing and borrowing power to compensate for the depletion of his own saintly power.

"Not bad."

The God Slasher behind the starlit desk lowered its gaze, seeming to smile faintly. Towering high enough to obscure the sky, in its view, the two humans were truly as small and insignificant as ants. Yet the Thirty-Six Divine Torture Soul-Drawing Array had crushed the physical bodies of numerous Half-Saints, and even Saint Emperor soul forms desperately resisting could not escape harm. But these two had managed to persevere. The disparity in strength was immediately evident. Even compared to the foolishly deceased Sacred Embryonic Plant, in Suiyin's eyes, these two were superior:

"You two possess extraordinary knowledge and commendable talent. Compared to the Saint Emperor Feng Tian, you are worthy of becoming disciples under my, Ancestor Suiyin's, tutelage. This edict is given only once. Either sincerely offer your soul blood, or perish, your souls shattered, ending here. You have thirty breaths to weigh your options. When time runs out, you shall die."

The God Slasher's lips did not move, yet that vast and ethereal voice echoed from all directions within the starlit river and black holes, creating an immediate and endless sense of dread. After hearing this, Xu Xiaoshou's head buzzed, and even the charge value for his "Finger of Illusion Annihilation" increased slightly.

He looked left and right. Elder Sang, Shui Gui, and the other strategists were no longer present; their fragmented souls twisted and writhed on the Thirty-Six Divine Torture Soul-Drawing Array, unable to even utter a sound. He looked at Dao Qiongcang, who clutched his forehead, brows tightly furrowed, his expression one of immense pain. His body trembled intermittently, able to hold on only by relying on the Ancestral God's fate. He then looked back at the giant behind the starlit desk: tall, mighty, boundless in magic power...

For the first time, Xu Xiaoshou felt such overwhelming pressure!

He could easily discern that in the eyes of the Evil God Suiyin, he and Dao Qiongcang truly amounted to nothing. It was merely because Suiyin needed subordinates for miscellaneous tasks, the Sacred Embryonic Plant was dead, and the Heavenly Sealing Saint Emperor was deemed unworthy, so two positions were made available. Its arrogance, its disdain, its indifference... all built upon the combination of "Evil God Suiyin" and "God Slasher Dyeing Tea," making it infinitely more terrifying than any other evil god!

In a daze, even Xu Xiaoshou's mind flickered with the thought—serving an Ancestral God wasn't humiliating; one could be a sacred slave, or even a divine servant.

Just then, Dao Qiongcang, burdened by immense pain and bearing endless pressure, spoke: "What you obtained was merely Dyeing Tea's Dao Embryo, wasn't it?"

Dao Embryo?

Xu Xiaoshou's thoughts snapped back. He glanced at his info panel, and indeed, it listed "Guided," "Affected," one after another. He took a deep breath, then held it, fully concentrating, not daring to be distracted again. If even Dao Qiongcang could remain calm and analyze, seeking Suiyin's weaknesses amidst such oppressive force, then if he truly succumbed first, that would be a dead end!

Clearly, the Evil God Suiyin genuinely didn't care about the two ants beneath its feet, and simply muttered to itself: "Twenty breaths."

Dao Qiongcang gripped the Ancestral God's fate tightly, his entire being seeming to experience a final burst of energy before death, and he quickened his pace: "The Sacred Embryonic Plant has fallen. This must be the last Dao Embryo you can utilize, correct? If my prediction is correct, your power after awakening is truly weak. That's why you needed to wait for us, to kill the chicken to warn the monkeys in front of us, by slaying Feng Yujin's soul form, right?"

As these words left his mouth, Xu Xiaoshou's eyebrows shot up. You brazen old Daoist, you truly dare to reveal anything! That's the Evil God Suiyin, Dyeing Tea! Yet, looking up at Dyeing Tea, its face remained completely unruffled, and the divine voice once again resounded around them: "Ten breaths."

Dao Qiongcang held the Ancestral God's fate as if it were his Divination Compass, completely in control of the situation, radiating intelligent charm. He paced forward, his restored eyes gleaming as he scanned the thirty-six divine torture pillars, chuckling softly: "In my humble opinion, this Thirty-Six Divine Torture Soul-Drawing Array is primarily used to maintain Dyeing Tea's Divine Court, isn't it? You're also running out of power, aren't you? Or perhaps a portion of its power is being diverted to compensate for the consumption caused by your forcefully using the God Slasher's Divine Court, overcoming your current early stage of recovery, right? You can't make any big moves, can you?"

The Evil God Suiyin, Dyeing Tea, listened intently, showing no change in demeanor. Only the death-counting countdown occasionally resounded, imposing immense pressure on the two within the starlit Divine Court: "Five breaths."

Dao Qiongcang, instead, burst into laughter, lifted his gaze to the sky, and declared loudly: "In the Thirty-Third Heaven, you should have also seen my friend, right? God Yi's punch wasn't pleasant, was it?"

"Lord Shou!" He then pointed at Xu Xiaoshou.

Xu Xiaoshou stiffened, his heart trembling, "Me?"

"This one, the Heavenly Ancestor's successor, favored by the Dragon Ancestor, inheriting the Way of the Sword, wielding the Staff of Time—he has surpassed his predecessors. You've witnessed his explosive power and unpredictability, haven't you? Have you considered that if you fight me and him here, and are damaged afterward, would you truly be able to restrain the one you confined in the Thirty-Third Heaven?"

Hearing this, Xu Xiaoshou's eyes burst with bright light, and he puffed out his chest. *I'm very useful!* He felt that in this suffocating realm of certain death, Dao Qiongcang had forcibly torn open a lifeline with his words, allowing for escape. You brazen old Daoist, "besieging Wei to rescue Zhao"—can it be used like this too?

"Three breaths."

Hearing this, Dao Qiongcang quickened his pace, and he wasn't even finished: "The Ancestral God Rankings, Cao Erzhu, with the number one Divine Fate Star—you remember him, right? He's not in the First Heaven, nor the Eighteenth Heaven. He can only be with God Yi, right? I met that child once: exceptionally gifted, a rare talent in spirit refining, possessing lightning profound mysteries. When he ascended through three realms and went to your lair, you must have been startled, right? Given his comprehension, combined with his physical foundation, if he stays with God Yi, it's possible to cultivate a 'mini God Yi' in a short time, isn't it?"

Xu Xiaoshou listened to each point, feeling his scalp tingle. You flamboyant old Daoist, *you're* the one who's off, aren't you? You must have activated God's Eye view! How do you know everything? You're in the Divine Court, how do you know everything? You even figured out Cao Erzhu? Moreover, if Dao Qiongcang hadn't mentioned it, Xu Xiaoshou would have truly forgotten that Cao Erzhu had also followed him into the Divine Ruins. At that time, he had left the Osmanthus Mountain first, and Cao Erzhu had followed him, but when Cao Erzhu arrived in the ruins, he missed meeting Xu due to his enlightenment. Elder Sang and the others said that Erzhu had immediately comprehended the Dao and ascended to a higher realm. Even such a minor detail, Dao Qiongcang knew it and factored it into his calculations? The Heavenly Mechanism Brain, terrifying indeed!

Time had clearly run out. The Evil God Suiyin, Dyeing Tea, eyelids twitched slightly, and its gaze lowered. It surprisingly did not continue counting. Hit a nerve? Hit a sore spot? Xu Xiaoshou truly wanted to give Dao Qiongcang a thumbs up, and also genuinely wondered how such a mind could have survived until now. Shouldn't he, in his youth, have been caught by wicked elders in his clan for dissection and study due to displaying some unusual powers, to see what kind of genes could produce such a genius, so they could mass-breed?

Dao Qiongcang, as if gaining an advantage, spoke freely: "To be honest, Cao Erzhu's father is the true genius. Have you considered that if you harm that child, and he dies, another prodigy comparable to God Yi will enter these ruins to confront you? At that time, Lord Shou, God Yi, and Cao Yihan would stand together, while you would be gravely wounded and dying, with no Dao Embryo to replace. Even if you could eventually eliminate these three, what price would you have to pay? Would this not also delay your plan to take root in the Divine Ruins and conquer the Saint God Continent by another millennium? Then, what would be the meaning of your forced awakening and absorption of Saintly positions, even at the cost of some power, just to advance your plan by a single step?"

A plan... An evil god, had a plan? What plan? And how did you know? Just shut up, it's boring, truly... Xu Xiaoshou, listening to this, stood with his mouth agape, already feeling utterly inadequate. He felt that the God Slasher before him was so immense, and Dao Qiongcang beside him had also become incredibly imposing, making himself in the Divine Court seem as tiny as a mung bean, like a mindless brute. *I should be considered smart, right?* Xu Xiaoshou self-reflected three times and came to a conclusion: A mind of the Ten Venerable Seats' caliber truly wasn't something ordinary geniuses could ever hope to match!

Dao Qiongcang looked directly at the Ancestral God, throwing out his final bargaining chip, and stated firmly: "Now, open the gate and let me and Lord Shou leave the Divine Ruins. You'll at least be able to swallow one God Yi and lure in one Kuilei Han, which should be enough for you to recover your strength. This is my sincerity: two lives for two lives, a win-win for both sides."

Xu Xiaoshou glanced at Dao Qiongcang from the corner of his eye, his mind already numb. How is this sincerity? This is the highest level of pulling off a scam! Also, being friends with you is truly dangerous at critical moments... He silently raised Dao Qiongcang's danger level in his mind to the highest, surpassing Ba Zun'an, and classifying him as "SSS."

"Interesting."

Behind the starlit desk, the Evil God Suiyin, Dyeing Tea, slowly shook its head, a faint, discernible smile curving its lips: "If the Sacred Embryonic Plant were a third as clever as you, this game would already be over."

Dao Qiongcang held the Ancestral God's fate, as if grasping destiny's throat, confident and composed. He remained silent, for he knew that the Evil God Suiyin still had more to say: "However, fate cannot be changed, and heaven cannot be defied. One who scrutinizes a god knows only the divine oracle. How much can they achieve? Can they change fate and defy heaven?"

"I, I have my own methods..." Dao Qiongcang put down the Ancestral God's fate, took a deep breath, his eyes gleaming faintly, and declared clearly: "Heaven is called the Vault, and my name is Qiongcang. I was born destined to defy the heavens. Since you gave me thirty breaths, I will also give you thirty breaths... The choice is yours, to comply or not to comply, in a single thought!"