Chapter 1625: The Shield-Holding Ming King Shakes the Ultimate Intent; Heaven and the Cursed Yin Cannot Coexist

Disregard!

This was blatant disregard!

Whether it was Chuyin the Evil God, the Spirit of the Heavenly Ancestor, or that disrespectful Xu Xiaoshou...

From start to finish, no one had looked him in the eye, and they repeatedly interrupted him.

Dao Qiongcang had never experienced anything like this; he was seething with rage!

On the Holy Divine Continent, Dao, the enigmatic Hall Master, was always the most prominent.

Even when surrounded by the other ten Venerables, no matter how humble he appeared, how he refused the main seat, or how he tried to highlight others' brilliance...

In the end, elevating others was only to better elevate himself—everyone's attention remained on Dao, the Hall Master who occupied the secondary position.

Let's put it this way!

Dao Qiongcang loved this kind of attention.

Dao Qiongcang had always enjoyed the world's admiration.

The so-called "show-off" meant: "I can act like I don't care, but you can't genuinely not care about me!"

Now, in the Star River Divine Court, Dao Qiongcang felt like an insignificant speck of dust.

The Ancestral God ignored him, and Xiaoshou disrespected him.

Yet...

He had prepared a magnificent speech!

He would escalate it layer by layer, pushing the emotions to a climax with his words!

At the moment everyone was astonished, he would reveal his trump card and decisively win this battle!

It had always been like this before.

They would all be shocked and would agree with his methods.

But why...

Was it not like that now?

You, Xu Xiaoshou, why did you keep interrupting him?

He was the one who found the flaw in Chuyin Ranming, he was the one who used the Ancestral God's fate to summon the Heavenly Ancestor's Spirit for them, and he even prepared their escape route in advance...

If he didn't speak, people would truly think he was mute.

When he did speak, people still treated him as if he were mute.

Shouldn't it be his moment to shine when he revealed his trump card?

And you, his friend, Xu Xiaoshou!

Did you know whose thunder you were stealing, whose words you were interrupting?!

"Thank you, Ancestor, for your profound grace—"

"Profound grace—"

"Hmm."

When that attention-seeking clown, with a voice like a croaking duck, echoed endlessly through the vast Divine Court, Dao Qiongcang finally snapped.

"Shut up, Xu Xiaoshou, I've had enough of you!"

This shout successfully drew the attention of the gods in the Divine Court.

The Heavenly Ancestor's Eye even looked a little softer.

Although it didn't understand why this person suddenly became so agitated, it thought, "...Human, you said what I wanted to say, but couldn't, given my status."

Xu Xiaoshou had tricked the Shattered Jun Shield into his possession, and his excitement was difficult to contain. He felt an aura of "above heaven and below earth, I alone am supreme."

Not to mention the God-Slaying Axe, which he now looked down upon.

Even Chuyin Ranming seemed insignificant in his eyes at this moment, let alone the mere Dao Qiongcang?

"Hey, little Daoist, what do you want?"

The Limit Giant scolded him unceremoniously. "Mind your place, flashy old Daoist. This is a giants' party; what right does a tiny bug like you, smaller than a fingernail, have to speak?"

Two sky-covering giants and one giant's eye simultaneously cast their gaze downwards, causing Dao Qiongcang's face to twitch wildly under the immense pressure.

He no longer had the heart to arrange any "layer by layer" plans. His teammate provided no emotional support and only knew how to interrupt.

So he could only throw out his trump card first, right in their faces, and choose to strike directly at the heart of the matter.

"Break the formation!"

Dao Qiongcang pointed at the Divine Punishment Pillar formation and solemnly declared, "Thirty-six pillars, but break just one, and Chuyin Ranming, I can eradicate with a flick of my finger!"

At such an arrogant declaration.

The Limit Giant, holding up the silver Shattered Jun Shield, was bewildered.

The Heavenly Ancestor's Eye showed even greater astonishment.

Even Chuyin Ranming himself, hearing this, displayed not mockery, but pity.

A frog at the bottom of a well, does he truly know what he is saying?

He didn't even bother to glance at the ant again or waste another half-word on him. As he flicked his sleeve and commanded the God-Slaying Axe to strike, the latter was already a dead man in his sight. He merely glanced at the Heavenly Ancestor's Eye:

"Let's each take a step back."

"I've allowed you this far, even returning the Shattered Jun Shield to you."

"As for Xu Xiaoshou, if you truly want to take him, why shouldn't I give face to you, Heavenly Ancestor?"

"But if you continue to be aggressive, today we will fight to the bitter end... You won't have to think about returning to your Void Island lair anymore!"

How could the Heavenly Ancestor's Spirit not understand this implication?

For him, this was the most appropriate solution; he could save his successor without bloodshed and go back to sleep...

As for the "Chuyin Plan," what happens later can be dealt with later.

The Holy Divine Continent and the Void Island were two different worlds. What did their disasters have to do with him, an Ancestor beyond this world?

Even if there were implications, he had the Ancestral God's fate now. Once his successor grew stronger, with his help, would he fear Chuyin when they met again?

The Heavenly Ancestor's Eye rarely interfered with its successor's actions, but at this moment, it issued its first divine oracle to Xu Xiaoshou:

"Retreat!"

Boom, boom, boom!

With one axe swing, the Star River collapsed.

Under the immense pressure, Dao Qiongcang's body cracked and bled, and blood seeped from his seven orifices, wafting in the wind.

Yet he remained unmoved, his cold gaze fixed on the axe as he loudly shouted:

"Xu Xiaoshou, are you spacing out?"

The Heavenly Ancestor?

Dao Qiongcang?

This was the question.

Xu Xiaoshou truly hadn't expected Ba Zun'an's jinx to be so effective, nor for the test of his emotions to come so quickly.

But regarding this question, he could give an answer almost without needing to choose.

"Sorry, my Heaven... uh, Heavenly Ancestor, I choose him."

"My Dao, don't panic! Your Master is here!"

One step to heaven!

Before the giant axe, which carried endless God-Slaying power, a silver light burst forth, revealing a sky-covering giant.

The giant knelt on one knee, holding the shield with his left hand, his elbow braced for protection, and holding a halberd with his right hand, the halberd providing extra support.

He descended from the void like a savior, almost in a sliding kneel, before the God-Slaying Axe could crush the ant-like Dao Qiongcang, his heroic posture captivating.

"Boom—"

As axe met shield, the Star River instantly changed color.

The violent God-Slaying power, at a certain point directly downwards, suddenly seemed to hit an unbreakable barrier and split into two halves.

One went left, one went right.

The roaring power from the God-Slaying Axe transformed into visible shockwaves, carrying intense destructive aura that erupted upon contact with the Shattered Jun Shield, cascading down on both sides.

The giant behind the shield...

The starlight space beneath the giant's crotch...

Dao Qiongcang, tiny as a speck of dust beneath the starlight space...

Didn't budge an inch!

"This?"

Even the Heavenly Ancestor's Eye, which had been watching from afar and was displeased by Xu Xiaoshou's defiance of its divine oracle, couldn't help but be stunned.

Such a perfect fit...

Xu Xiaoshou's state after Void Transformation, and his compatibility with the Shattered Jun Shield, exceeded expectations.

It was almost beyond a hundred percent, breaking the Ancestral God's inherent understanding, reaching a level of one hundred and twenty percent!

In front of the shield, a storm raged, a divine apocalypse.

Behind the shield, it was calm, like a boat entering a windless zone.

He remembered that last time, the Limit Giant, holding the halberd with one hand, had his Dragon Painting Halberd struck away by the God-Slaying Axe, which could cleave Ancestral Source power, and the entire giant was almost split in half.

This time, with just the addition of the Shattered Jun Shield, Xu Xiaoshou's hard passive wooden bucket, with its ability to reach the heavens, had filled its only weakness.

His complete form was truly terrifying; the God-Slaying Axe couldn't shake it in the slightest!

With divine sense, he took in the entire scene. Looking up from afar, Dao Qiongcang couldn't help but feel another strange ripple in his heart:

"I, once again, was protected by Xu Xiaoshou?"

"Disintegration received, passive value, 1."

"Blast received, passive value, 1."

"Impact received, passive value, 1."

Under the information bar, a single God-Slaying Axe strike on the Shattered Jun Shield, under absolute power, evolved into various forms of attack.

However, the myriad attack forms, no matter how varied, could not shake the shield-wielding Limit Giant, not even by an inch.

"Strong!"

So damn strong.

So strong that Xu Xiaoshou couldn't help but curse. He felt that no one could embody the words "Immovable Wisdom King" better than himself at this moment.

"Awesome!"

So damn awesome.

The Shattered Jun Shield was absolutely the hardest defensive weapon in the world, without a doubt—even gods had to take a backseat!

If the addition of the Gluttonous God brought dramatic changes to his combat style;

The arrival of the Dragon Painting Halberd greatly extended his normal attack range and significantly boosted his burst capabilities.

Both of them armed the Limit Giant, this puzzle piece, to its fullest, to a hundred percent.

Then the Shattered Jun Shield was the dye!

With a single stroke, it colored the previously gray puzzle image with vibrant, kaleidoscopic hues.

It put a period on "perfection," sealed "completion" into eternity, and transformed "passivity" into art!

What is art?

This is art!

The Passive Fist, which had previously exhausted its charge, surged dramatically with that axe strike.

And now, with the help of the Shattered Jun Shield, that surge became gradual.

This was a historic shift!

The Shattered Jun Shield could perfectly complement the Limit Giant. With a single thought from Xu Xiaoshou, destructive attacks could be adjusted into damaging attacks.

In this way, it greatly reduced the direct impact the Shattered Jun Shield itself had to bear, while also allowing the Limit Giant to "farm" damage without losing health due to its various passive abilities.

The Shattered Jun Shield didn't quite grasp this "balance" when they first started cooperating.

But after only about ten breaths of the God-Slaying Axe's impact, it achieved perfect synchronicity with its new master.

That was the spot!

That ineffable feeling, understood intuitively!

The Limit Giant, wielding the Shattered Jun Shield, despite merely passively blocking and defending, felt his soul ascend to heaven, utterly thrilled.

"Let the storm rage on!"

The Limit Giant let out a deep growl, yet simultaneously reduced its power in conjunction with the Shattered Jun Shield.

At the same time, its entire body burst with golden light, activating "Immovable Wisdom King."

By this point, Xu Xiaoshou even needed to *reduce* his power to activate Immovable Wisdom King, feeling that only then might he achieve his desired goal...

Sure enough, as soon as his power subsided.

Chuyin Ranming, seeing that the attack had stalled, delivered a final burst with the God-Slaying Axe, thrusting it forward fiercely.

The Limit Giant's Immovable Wisdom King then coincidentally reached its critical point. The golden light shattered, and the giant was sent flying backward, armor broken and bleeding.

"Pfft!"

At the same time, Chuyin Ranming's body trembled, and he, too, spit out a mouthful of blood.

Wounded!

In the Star River Divine Court, Chuyin, the Evil God, originally known as invincible, was injured by the shock!

He felt his head swell, his eyeballs bulge, blood seep from his seven orifices, and his mind roar, staggering back repeatedly from the strange recoil.

"Rumble, rumble, rumble..."

As Chuyin Ranming lost his footing, the Star River Divine Court swayed precariously, as if its foundation had been removed.

Dao Qiongcang looked up, finally seeing the beautiful sky palace's foundation crumble, threatening to collapse, or actually collapsing.

Xu Xiaoshou, with one shield, could shake an Ancestral God... He no longer knew how to describe the shock in his heart at this moment, stiffly turning his gaze to the two combatants.

"Awesome!"

The Limit Giant, who had been beaten until he was sent flying, let out a hearty roar.

He spun the shield with his left hand, twirled the halberd with his right, and stood firm after his feet dragged a series of spatial black holes across the Star River Divine Court. His wounds rapidly healed, and he appeared invigorated.

"Ugh!"

Chuyin Ranming stopped after repeatedly stumbling back behind the Star River altar, then let out another muffled groan.

The attacker, seemingly the superficial victor of this battle, was actually hollowed out internally.

He found that now, even mobilizing the God-Slaying power felt sluggish.

His Dao Embryo had been jolted, causing problems...

Realizing that he had been wounded by the Heavenly Ancestor's successor, Chuyin felt as if a basin of fire had been poured into his heart; his rage was uncontrollable.

Yet he dared not let the other side see any hint of weakness. He merely cast a deep glance, probing the Heavenly Ancestor's Eye:

"Retreat?"

Nothing more needed to be said.

That single word raised the mockery to its extreme.

The Heavenly Ancestor's Spirit was furious, feeling it had completely lost all its credibility and face among the Ancestral Gods.

Who would have thought that before it could even scold its successor, the latter scoffed aloud:

"Retreat?"

"When did my Heavenly Ancestor ever tell you we wanted to retreat?"

"What made you so arrogant as to assume you offered my Heavenly Ancestor anything like 'help'?"

He raised the Shattered Jun Shield:

"Is it the shield?"

"The Shattered Jun Shield was originally an item of the Heavenly Ancestor, later stolen by you. It's only right that it returns to its original Ancestor, I don't need to teach you that, do I?"

He pointed to himself:

"Is it me?"

"I, the Heavenly Ancestor's successor!"

"If we wanted to retreat, my Heavenly Ancestor would naturally take me away. Why would we need you to grant us a chance to 'retreat'?"

He then picked up the Dragon Painting Halberd and pointed it remotely at Dao Qiongcang. This time, he was so resolute he didn't need to crack his knuckles.

"Is it this weakling?"

Dao Qiongcang took a deep breath.

*Sigh*. You hit a soft spot. All he could do now was inhale and exhale.

Then the eloquent Limit Giant burst into laughter and declared loudly:

"Although this weakling is indeed weak, he has fought alongside me, and sharing adversity makes us sworn brothers."

"As the Heavenly Ancestor's successor, born with a noble destiny, if I were to abandon friends and betray trust, what face would the Heavenly Ancestor have?"

"Your words, your intentions, and your veiled insinuations, Chuyin, where do they leave the dignity of my Heavenly Ancestor?"

This final roar in the Star River Divine Court was awe-inspiring and deafening:

"Chuyin, are you trying to destroy my Heavenly Ancestor?!"

After these words, the Star River Divine Court fell into complete silence.

Chuyin was silent.

The Heavenly Ancestor shed tears.

The former felt truly enlightened at this moment, never expecting that after millions of years of slumber, such a glib-tongued person would emerge from the auspicious Holy Divine Continent.

The latter was both moved and dared not move, feeling as if its old eyeball had been placed on a high wooden rack to be roasted by its young successor.

Turning it over and over, contemplating, tearing apart, chewing, and swallowing Xu Xiaoshou's words, it finally tasted that the fire roasting it was named "morality."

If the two Ancestors were like this, then Dao Qiongcang was even more so.

Originally, he had thought Xu Xiaoshou's act of protecting him was necessary due to their previous alliance.

Now, thinking about it, he was truly an idiot!

What was ever necessary?

What sacrifice was ever owed?

When did he become the kind of scoundrel who took others' efforts for granted and viewed others' protection as their due?

"Sworn brothers..."

"In his heart, does he truly regard me like this...?"

Dao Qiongcang felt his Heavenly Secret body and Heavenly Secret heart warm, as if he had rediscovered the innocent, carefree youth he was before he became corrupted, his heart tainted, and his mind filled with schemes.

He looked up at the Limit Giant, his face devoid of emotion.

After the Limit Giant finished speaking, he also ignored the Ancestral God and gazed at Dao Qiongcang with deep affection.

The world might forget you.

But I will watch you, because you are unique.

"Just as there are no two identical leaves in the world, everyone is unique... Heh, who wouldn't be dazzled by these words, especially with the aura of 'devouring mountains and rivers' accompanying them!"

The Limit Giant withdrew his gaze, smiling smugly.

Ba Zun'an, you were wrong.

Xu Xiaoshou was firm as a rock, never letting emotions sway him.

But Xu Xiaoshou, if possible, would make Dao Qiongcang feel emotion for him!

"Good, good, good."

After a pause, Chuyin Ranming's face was clouded with gloom.

Upon seeing that the Heavenly Ancestor's Eye had also implicitly approved of its successor's words, he understood:

This situation would not end well.

Cheating and deceiving, intercepting the Shattered Jun...

Challenging superiors, repeatedly embarrassing him...

Arrogant and overbearing, constantly making wild declarations...

Looking back, in the Divine Ruins, Chuyin the Evil God had lost count of how many times Xu Xiaoshou, the Heavenly Ancestor's successor, had disrupted his actions, or how many times, subjectively or objectively, he had ruined his plans...

Thus, all these grievances would be settled at once!

Chuyin Ranming summoned the God-Slaying Axe with his right hand, his eyes sinking. With his left hand, he summoned the Demon-Splitting Axe from an nameless soul entity.

The power of God-Slaying and the power of the Demonic Ancestor violently surged into him.

His Dao Embryo body instantly cracked, exuding endless malevolence and transforming into overwhelming pressure. He cast a cold glance at the Heavenly Ancestor's Eye and spoke in a deep voice:

"Since you don't wish to leave, from this moment on, none of you need to think about how to escape."

"Heaven and Chuyin are irreconcilable!"