Chapter 1627: Three Styles of Maneuvering to Tease the Malevolent Yin, Great God's Descent Technique Reaches Heavenly Audience

"The Eye of Tianzu, was it ambushed and killed?"

Inside the haphazardly assembled body, Dao Qiongcang was shocked when his holy thought glimpsed the scene in the void. He never expected that Chongyin would change tactics so many times in such a short period. From the Eye of Tianzu, to the Suijun Shield, to Xu Xiaoshou, and back to the Eye of Tianzu… Everyone was like blindfolded donkeys, constantly being led by the nose.

And whether from a tactical or combat perspective, Chongyin's strength far exceeded previous predictions. Nothing else to say, just that last move, "Shugou Dacai"... Dao Qiongcang felt that no matter who it was used on, that person would likely not escape death.

Fortunately, the arrival of the Eye of Tianzu caused Chongyin to be apprehensive, and he used swift means to kill it first—Shugou Dacai was unleashed upon an ancestral god's thought. The bad news was that with the Eye of Tianzu gone, the situation could only revert to how it was before, with just him and Xu Xiaoshou confronting Chongyin.

"No!"

"There are differences..."

No matter how horrifying, Dao Qiongcang's thoughts continued. After carefully comparing the current Chongyin with the previous Chongyin, he quickly drew these conclusions:

First, Ranming Dao'ying was shattered.Second, the Xinghe Shenting was no more.Third, Chongyin Xieshen actively used the demonic power of the Liemo Axe to become a demon, which was also a key factor that could cause variables.

Demonic nature is inherently arrogant. And arrogance too easily destroys a person, or a god!

"Boom!"

While he was pondering, the last piece of space from the Xinghe Shenting exploded, and its power ceased to exist. Everyone fell from the Shenting back into the Siming Shendian, immediately seeing the previous mountains of spiders and insects, and feeling the collapsing life dao principles. The Luanshuo Ekou was gone. The Buhong Zhuchu had not dissipated. The fragmented soul bodies attached to it were still being torn and disintegrated little by little, not entirely dissolving.

"Keeping these soul bodies must be useful!"

Dao Qiongcang's thoughts turned, and he suddenly understood that the Thirty-six Shenxingzhu had previously been used to maintain the Shenting, serving as an energy supply to unleash the power of Ranming Dao'ying's body to kill gods. And "entering demon easy, exiting demon difficult," now, these soul bodies, especially with Fengtian Shengdi's soul among them, weren't strong in combat but were truly high in resilience. They must have become the pillars Chongyin used to stabilize his sanity in his demonic state.

"If I kill all of them..."

An extreme thought immediately flashed through Dao Qiongcang's mind. This would be the best strategy, effortlessly saving himself and Xu Xiaoshou, and allowing Chongyin to completely demonize. A supremely powerful entity with reason. A supremely powerful entity without reason. Comparing the two, in Dao Qiongcang's understanding, if the former's strength was "ten," the latter's strength was only "three."

But!

Most of these soul bodies were people somewhat related to Xu Xiaoshou. Unless he no longer wanted to cooperate with him, this best strategy could not be used.

"No, I have to stick to the original plan."

Dao Qiongcang sighed: "Changes simply can't keep up with my plan."

"Tremble..."

Among the Nine Heavens, as the gloom spread, gray-purple mist rapidly enveloped the entire Siming Shendian. The collapsing life dao principles were swallowed. The infinitely proliferating life forms here rapidly decayed. Being in the mist, the six senses were restricted, divine will was disordered, and the fear of the unknown was infinitely magnified at this moment.

After Xu Xiaoshou finished cursing, when he focused his gaze... Chongyin was gone!

With Ranming Dao'ying shattered and the Xinghe Shenting collapsed, Chongyin Xieshen was completely freed from the shackles of form. He seemed to hover above the gray-purple mist of the Siming Shendian, assimilating with the Great Dao. After the Eye of Tianzu was devoured, all things under his gaze were like straw dogs, unworthy of notice.

"Divine Oracle: Forbidden Shield of the Forsaken."

Suddenly, high above the sky, a huge dark-purple scroll unfolded, inscribed with complex ancient characters, accompanied by profound power. "After cutting off my greatest retreat, the Eye of Tianzu, you want to cut off my second retreat, Yishi Duli (Isolated from the World)? He can perceive the existence of Yishi Duli? Oh, this is an ancestral god! An ability used once will surely be guarded against; it's too normal."

Orders were followed, prohibitions were enacted. Words became law. Xu Xiaoshou felt a supreme power descend upon the Siming Shendian. His heart tightened, and he quickly activated "Yishi Duli." Spiritual energy began to consume frantically... He immediately ended his extreme giant state, returned to human form, conserving spiritual energy while looking at Dao Qiongcang.

Dao Qiongcang seemed to sense something and turned his head to look. Their eyes met, big eyes staring at small eyes—the forgetting effect hadn't appeared at all!

"Yishi Duli, is it really forbidden?"

Xu Xiaoshou's heart turned pale with shock: "Impossible!"

Yishi Duli was the second awakening skill of "concealment," awakened by the system. How could it be disabled? Although he had never analyzed the system from the bottom up, if viewed from the perspective of refining spirits, Xu Xiaoshou could roughly discern some things. The "Dao of Forgetting" involved in this second awakening skill, if condensed into a Dao disk, surely it would be 90 or 95, if not 100? And such power, reaching the level of transcending dao transformation, could be disabled by a single word from Chongyin Xieshen?

If he were at his peak, Xu Xiaoshou could understand: "Disable it then! You're an ancestral god, you're strong, I have nothing to say." But this demonized Shugou Xieshen had already expended most of his output on the Eye of Tianzu. In his current state, where could he find so much power to seal the Dao of Forgetting in the Siming Shendian and even the Shenzhi Yiji, affecting himself?

"Wait, if it's in a roundabout way..."

Xu Xiaoshou's mind suddenly had a flash of insight, remembering the Pianyuan Qie that he and the Suijun Shield had worn away. That thing had previously, from a tricky angle, blocked his retreat by threatening the Eye of Tianzu. Chongyin Xieshen always managed to bypass his attention through roundabout ways, successfully applying "guidance" to him.

Now!

"Forbidden Shield of the Forsaken" should also have some explanation?

"This isn't 'Xu Xiaoshou Forbidden', but rather 'whoever holds the shield will be banished and abandoned by the Dao of Forgetting'?"

It must be said, if understood from this perspective, the price Chongyin Xieshen had to pay for this temporary divine oracle was too small. He didn't need to prohibit the great dao inherent in the Shenzhi Yiji; instead, he focused on the "shield," utilizing the shield's inherent characteristics: The Suijun Shield would not act on its own, nor would it know how to resist, and it was likely not proficient in the Dao of Forgetting—thus, it probably wouldn't even notice if it was affected. And by combining this shield with the Dao of Forgetting, he invisibly drove it to become a barrier blocking the door to the Dao of Forgetting. Chongyin Xieshen didn't need to do anything else. The cornerstone providing power for this divine oracle was shifted from himself to the "shield" through a trick. If anyone wanted to bypass the "Forbidden Shield of the Forsaken" divine oracle, they would need to break through the Suijun Shield's defense...

"Who can break it!"

The more he thought, the more terrifying it became. When he finally comprehended all this, Xu Xiaoshou's feet turned cold. He felt that Chongyin's use of "shu" (art) and "dao" (principles) was beyond description by "sublime to the extreme." The "诡" (诡, cunning) of his methods profoundly illustrated the opposite of "art" and the essence of "evil"—truly living up to the name "Xieshen"!

But!

"Why should I abide by your divine oracle?"

Xu Xiaoshou laughed heartily, directly letting go of the Suijun Shield. Chongyin's roundabout restriction was too limited. I just need to let go of the shield, and can the divine oracle still work? It's like a piece of waste paper!

As expected, as soon as he let go of the shield, he activated "Xiaoshi Shu" (Disappearance Art) and "Yishi Duli" again. Xu Xiaoshou looked at Dao Qiongcang again. The latter was clearly frowning; just by his expression, Xu Xiaoshou knew that this guy couldn't see him and had forgotten him.

—Yishi Duli, as expected, could no longer be forbidden!

"Chongyin, is that all you've got?"

In the dual state of disappearance and isolation, Xu Xiaoshou held his belly, laughing heartily, pointing to the sky, his expression utterly unrestrained. Chongyin, of course, couldn't see all this. After laughing, Xu Xiaoshou suddenly paused, thinking of something strange: "Why am I activating Yishi Duli when nothing's happening? He's not even attacking me, is he?"

At the same instant Xu Xiaoshou disappeared and was forgotten, the Siming Shendian trembled, and a light laugh echoed from beyond the heavens.

"Shu Bu Hong Ban Zhou."

With a tearing sound, the thirty-six evil tentacles shed their evil nature and transformed into thirty-six Shenxingzhu. The pillar array shifted formation, encircling the masterless Suijun Shield. The formation rotated, transformed... The Shenxingzhu disappeared. The grand array also disappeared. The Suijun Shield vanished with them!

Chongyin Xieshen sacrificed thirty-six successful tentacles, and the Suijun Shield was also taken away! In the dual state of disappearance and isolation, Xu Xiaoshou was stunned at the sight. Then he canceled the dual state, transforming into a mad dog, and rushed out fiercely:

"Chongyin! May you die a terrible death!!!"

He rushed towards the location where the Suijun Shield had been. He stretched out his hands like a blind person fumbling in the dark. He could no longer touch the Suijun Shield's presence!

"Waaahhh—"

Xu Xiaoshou clutched his head with both hands, his body hunched like a shrimp, screaming frantically, then suddenly quieted down: "Heh?" "Formation Art?"

The Array Dao Disk opened. The weaving mastery knowledge base was called upon. Viewing the formation created by the thirty-six Shenxingzhu from this perspective, Xu Xiaoshou discerned hints of "Great Dao," "Space-Time," and "Cycles." His mind instantly simulated and analyzed Chongyin's formation art from just moments ago, and he immediately understood:

The Suijun Shield hadn't disappeared, nor had it been stolen. Instead, it had been enveloped by the thirty-six Shenxingzhu and placed into the space-time of the previous moment, then continuously repeating the command "place into the space-time of the previous moment." Thus, Chongyin Xieshen only needed to pay the small energy cost of "pushing a partial space-time back one breath" and forming a cycle—the application of this Dao of Cycles. To find the Suijun Shield, Xu Xiaoshou would need to be proficient in the Dao of Cycles himself, otherwise he would have to find the Shenxingzhu from one moment in time ago. This would require true space-time travel! And those not greatly accomplished in the Dao of Space-Time can fix or reverse a certain amount of time, but how could they place themselves in the space-time universe of the previous moment to change the future?

If this method didn't work, then the formation must be broken. If he couldn't find the core Shenxingzhu of the formation, he could only find the caster, which was Chongyin Xieshen! Xu Xiaoshou weakly raised his eyes, looking at the gray-purple mist in the void, clearly understanding something: Kill Chongyin, get the shield treasure. But the shield treasure was clearly already his...

"Waaah!"

At this thought, Xu Xiaoshou burst into tears, filled with regret: "Shield treasure, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have let go of you, come back!" The more he cried, the sadder he became. The sadder he became, the angrier he grew. Vaguely, even Xu Xiaoshou realized he had been guided, but his hatred for Chongyin Xieshen at this moment was like a raging ocean, its waves uncontrollable!

"Chong! Yin!"

With a loud bang, the ground under his feet shattered, and Xu Xiaoshou angrily broke through the air, intending to ascend to heaven. A jade-white hand suddenly reached out, firmly grasping Xu Xiaoshou. Dao Qiongcang was equally shocked by Chongyin Xieshen's "诡" (cunning) use of techniques, but he still managed to calm himself:

"Xu Xiaoshou, don't be impulsive!"

"Don't stop me!" Xu Xiaoshou kicked Dao Qiongcang over, "I'm going to kill! Today, I will slay a god!"

"Alright, go die then." Dao Qiongcang fell to the ground, clutching his chest with a look of pain and helplessness.

Xu Xiaoshou's anger immediately froze in mid-air. "No. Stop me again, okay? I'd listen to reason the second time. Like this, it's very awkward for me. The shield treasure might be watching... It just submitted to me; even if it's just for show, I have to charge. Besides, I'm not that kind of hypocritical person who just puts on a show; I'm a true gentleman..."

Dao Qiongcang said nothing. Xu Xiaoshou landed back on the ground with a gloomy expression: "Your telepathic message indeed makes sense. I have lost the shield treasure; I cannot fall into Chongyin's trap again."

Dao Qiongcang: ?

"Choose one of two."

"The living, return to source."

With the Suijun Shield, that hot potato, gone, not long after, Chongyin Xieshen's voice from beyond the heavens sounded even more relaxed. He didn't say much, but his meaning was already very clear. You two fight it out, and the one who survives returns to the Sheng Shen Continent.

Xu Xiaoshou looked at Dao Qiongcang on the ground. The latter sprang up, his face stained with twelve parts of vigilance, and he repeatedly stepped back: "Xu Xiaoshou, don't be swayed! If he could unleash another Shugou Dacai, why would he be playing tricks here with you? Don't be fooled again!"

"What do you mean?" Xu Xiaoshou's face instantly darkened upon hearing this. "Do you think I'd attack you? Am I that kind of person?"

"Whatever you think I mean, that's what I mean," Dao Qiongcang sneered.

"What do you mean by that meaning and those words of yours?"

"Meaning, is meaning!"

Under such obvious provocation, the two became hostile. However, such high-intensity dialogue contained content that required some thought to understand. Chongyin had no patience to think, nor did he want to listen to their curses; all he wanted was a deathmatch:

"Thirty breaths."

"Chongyin's promise is heavier than a broken scale."

Broken scale... Don't mention broken scale to me!

Xu Xiaoshou flew into a rage, slapping Dao Qiongcang: "Back on Qingyuan Mountain, I wanted to kill you, but the Shenzhi Yiji saved you so many times. Can't you just kill yourself now... I can't bring myself to do it to you anymore!"

Dao Qiongcang was utterly bewildered by the slap, covering his face and saying incredulously: "You call this 'can't bring yourself to do it'? Do you think your words are credible?"

"If I can't trust you, who can I trust?"

"You believe that the Siming Shenguan treats all beings equally, but you didn't believe me when I said thirty breaths and interfered. Now, whether you believe it or not is up to you, this hall doesn't care anymore!"

"Even if I wanted to believe you, you've been slacking off the whole time, and I'm the only one fighting. How can you expect me to believe you? I'd rather surrender to Chongyin!"

"Fine, go surrender to Chongyin. I'll leave the Siming Shendian by myself!"

"Siming Shendian?"

"Out!"

Chongyin disdained to listen to their childish quarrel:

"Twenty breaths."

Counting precisely. As his voice fell, the two stopped arguing simultaneously. Xu Xiaoshou's spatial dao disk expanded beneath his feet: "I don't believe in evil. This third time, I can still enter the Shenting!"

Dao Qiongcang pounced, clinging to Xu Xiaoshou's chest like a sloth, his arms wrapped around Xu Xiaoshou's head: "Go!"

*Thump.*

Space rippled, and the figures vanished. Only a single shoe, dropped by Dao Qiongcang after his leap, remained in the Siming Shendian, which then returned to silence.

Chongyin Xieshen was truly stunned for a moment. He had considered that the two might not fight each other. But he couldn't imagine what other variables existed in the Shenzhi Yiji that would allow them to survive without fighting.

"Interesting."

With a whoosh, gray-purple mist surged out of the Siming Shendian and reached the eighteenth heaven of the Shenzhi Yiji. Chongyin Xieshen personally witnessed the two desperate humans, holding each other, abandoning their shield and their friends' souls, making a run for it. They teleported to the entrance of the passage from the eighteenth heaven to the first heaven. They teleported in, reaching the first heaven.

"Ridiculous."

Chongyin Xieshen laughed. The gray-purple mist surged, chasing towards the first heaven. As soon as he appeared, he saw the two frozen in place, looking up at the sky, as if waiting?

"Here they come!"

Sure enough, as Chongyin appeared, Xu Xiaoshou's spatial dao disk didn't move this time. Instead, Dao Qiongcang, who was holding him, formed a hand seal:

"Great Teleportation Art!"

The Cangqiong Scroll unfolded. Chongyin Xieshen hadn't even opened his mouth to mock them after seeing the two, when they had already vanished. He couldn't laugh anymore.

This was... playing around? Teleporting back and forth like this, where else could they teleport to? Could they teleport out of the Shenzhi Yiji?

"Wait!"

Chongyin Xieshen suddenly tensed. The image of the shoe Dao Qiongcang had dropped in the Siming Shendian flashed in his mind—in such a major battle, how could he have any shoes left? He quickly turned to defend. But by the time he rushed from the first heaven to the eighteenth heaven, and then entered the Siming Shendian, he saw Dao Qiongcang holding the thirty-six Shenxingzhu array disk, and Xu Xiaoshou holding the Suijun Shield.

"Bye bye."

Xu Xiaoshou, beaming, waved at him, and once again teleported out of the Siming Shendian with Dao Qiongcang.

"Impossible!"

Chongyin Xieshen roared furiously, not even giving chase, and directly rewound the dao technique. As soon as he saw the "Zushen Mingge" being handed from Xu Xiaoshou to Dao Qiongcang, and Dao Qiongcang transforming from his previous impersonation of a Shengzu to becoming an Instant Shengzu... Chongyin Xieshen's heart sank; he didn't need to see any more. Regardless of how much power that Shengzu could exert, there was absolutely no problem in breaking through the one-breath cyclical space-time.

But... funny! Too funny! All this trouble, just to retrieve a shield and a few shattered souls, what good was it? As long as they couldn't get out of the Shenzhi Yiji, everyone would die in the end! Chongyin Xieshen suppressed the irritation of being played by humans, and the gray-purple mist once again surged out of the Siming Shendian.

This time... surprisingly, they didn't run again. They had even separated from their conjoined twin posture. Xu Xiaoshou held the shield and propped his halberd, looking down at the world with arrogance: "Thirty breaths, right? Hold them off for thirty breaths, then I'll hand them over to you... This is what you said, my Dao!"

Dao Qiongcang sat cross-legged on the ground, his back to everything, forming hand seals, his expression helpless: "Do you still not trust me, my Xu?"

With that, he pointed vaguely towards the sky, towards the direction of the thirty-third heaven, and closed his eyes:

"Great God Descending Art!"