Chapter 1659: Toying with the Endgame is Too Carefree, One Word of Advice Can Also Kill

“Dao Nitian, you accursed one, you’re completely slandering me!”

Yue Gongli could no longer suppress the urge to kill. He burst out from the Divine Punishment Pillar.

Then, he froze in place.

As a remnant soul sacrificed by Cui Yinranming to seize soul power, he had indeed recovered some of his combat strength. However, compared to Dao Qiongcang, Xu Xiaoshou, or Ba Zun’an, there was a vast difference. He had the heart to kill, but his sword... was too soft!

Drawing his sword, he looked around, feeling lost. Yue Gongli could only resort to tears, fiercely glaring at Dao Nitian while staring at Xu Xiaoshou’s stomach, defending himself:

“Brother-in-law, I’ve never thought that way.”“You must, must believe me!”

He pointed at the scoundrel beside him and angrily retorted:“Dao Nitian, you villain, you always project your petty thoughts onto honorable men. Is it true that everyone’s thoughts, once you process them in your mind, become so foul and disgusting? At that time, events unfolded so suddenly; how could I have considered all that you’re saying? My only thought was to save my sister. Putting everything else aside, let’s start with the fundamental contradiction—I never even considered competing with my sister for the position of Saint Emperor’s successor. To this day, my refusal to claim the Saint Emperor’s status or become the Moon Clan patriarch is because I’m waiting for her return; that’s the best proof!”

It was rare for someone afflicted by demonic energy to maintain such rationality, piercingly pointing out the “fundamental contradiction” in Dao Qiongcang’s conclusion-based argument.

Ba Zun’an remained silent. Xu Xiaoshou felt as if he were watching a grand play, his gaze shifting from Yue Gongli’s indignant soul to the flashy old Daoist.

Cao ErZhu, an outsider, had originally been listening with a desire to learn, but he suddenly realized that not everything could be carelessly imitated—it had left him completely numb. At this moment, his soul-head was overheating; Cao ErZhu numbly cradled his throbbing skull with both hands, his gaze flitting back and forth between Xu, Dao, and Yue, his mind a blank.

He had a thousand words he wanted to say, but they ultimately condensed into a single sound, encapsulating the chaotic and complex emotions in his heart:“Wow!”

His father had said that in the Spirit Refining World, Semi-Saints were as common as dogs, and human hearts were complex, so he needed to be careful... His father had still been too conservative!

In the true Spirit Refining World, Semi-Saints didn’t even qualify as cannon fodder, and Saint Emperors could be instantly possessed and die. Even ancestral gods weren’t invincible; they could be manipulated until they were homeless and displaced. No one was “eternal”!

As for human hearts... They were even more terrifying, beyond comprehension.

Ever since his father died, everyone he had met—whether it was Brother Xiaoshou, or this Dao Qiongcang, or even Yue Gongli... all were terrifying. Except for Lord Li, who was only kind to him, all these people seemed like a single person endowed with five hundred brains. Their moods changed faster than flipping a book, and their thoughts shifted more rapidly than the weather; an ordinary person like him simply couldn’t keep up. In comparison, the neighbors in Changde Town truly had simple customs and kind hearts.

And that was putting it nicely. To put it bluntly, compared to these people, the townsfolk were like brainless robots!

“Just like me...” Cao ErZhu panted heavily, staring at his own body.

His intuition told him that this monstrously intelligent, terrifying uncle—whom even his father had warned him to guard against, and whom he ultimately couldn’t prevent from possessing his body—would not be easily refuted by Yue Gongli’s words.

He quickly felt admiration. Because a normal person, when faced with such a rebuttal from Yue Gongli (like himself, for example), would definitely shout back loudly.

Dao Qiongcang was too calm. Even after Yue Gongli finished insulting him to his face, a mischievous smile still lingered at the corner of his mouth.

Cao ErZhu felt that even if he practiced in front of a mirror, he would never be able to produce such a smile with his own body in this lifetime.

Dao Qiongcang remained silent for several breaths, staring down the agitated, almost explosive Yue Gongli until he calmed down. Only then did he slowly speak, appearing as if he had “already anticipated such a defense,” yet what came out was not a rebuttal, but praise:

“Yes, this is precisely where your cleverness, Yue Gongli, lies!”

Yue Gongli was momentarily stunned, all train of thought interrupted, and a bad premonition arose in his heart. No, you’re supposed to be cursing me; why are you praising me? We are currently confronting each other. If you praise your opponent, they’ll be scared!

Before insulting someone, praise them first... Cao ErZhu felt he had learned even more; this was a line of thinking he had never encountered.

He perked up his ears, hearing Dao Qiongcang click his tongue and say:

“If I were you, I’d play it the same way. Anyway, the Saint Emperor’s status is within easy reach; whether to accept it or not is entirely up to me. Even if my sister returns from the Cold Prison, no matter how great her talent, she’s still thirty years behind me; it will be hard for her to catch up in this lifetime. Even if she achieves great fortune and truly catches up to my progress... her relationship with Ba Zun’an, her time in the Cold Prison, etc., are all stains on her life’s resume. The elders of the Cold Palace Imperial Realm aren’t idlers; considering both sides, it’s obvious who they would ultimately choose. My holding up the Saint Emperor’s status isn’t because I humbly wish to return it to my sister; it’s because by holding it, everyone will praise me... everyone!”

Dao Qiongcang paused in his speech, lowered his head, and took three steps back. Suddenly, he looked up, stars sparkling in his eyes, hands covering his mouth in feigned astonishment:“Oh, he’s so good to his sister!”“Someone so sentimental must be kind-hearted, deep down, right?”“A person so benevolent, righteous, sentimental, and trustworthy—if he doesn’t become the leader of the Five Great Saint Emperor Clans, who will?”

He lowered his hands, took two steps forward, turned sideways, and adopted a coy, playful, hard-to-get demeanor. Then, manipulating Cao ErZhu’s broad, muscular body, he squeezed his elbows together, pressed his knees close, formed an orchid hand gesture with his fingers, turned his feet inward, subtly swayed his shoulders back and forth, gently twisted his waist, and said bashfully with his head down:“Mmm...”“Even if you say that, I won’t become the patriarch; that’s my sister’s.”

After his feigned performance, he let out a cold laugh and looked up at Cao ErZhu:“This way, I gain reputation without putting myself in the spotlight. While stabilizing Yue Gongnu and Ba Zun’an, I can also secretly observe the attitudes of the other Four Great Saint Emperor Clans towards me. It allows for both offense and defense. If it were you, would you accept that Saint Emperor’s status?”

Cao ErZhu didn’t even know what the Saint Emperor’s status actually looked like. Seeing that terrifying human look at him, he instinctively shook his head in panic:“I wouldn’t take it.”“Only a fool would take it.”After saying this, he scratched his scalp and foolishly nodded again: “Yes, only a fool would take it!”

So powerful... He truly is so powerful!

Cao ErZhu felt as if the door to a new world was opening before him. So there were so many implications to either taking or not taking something. And a person’s purity or impurity could even be observed through such a thing.

Yue Gongli, you’re truly inhumane! That’s your sister; how can your thoughts be so filthy?

Cao ErZhu thought of his own sister. If one day he became someone like Yue Gongli, or his sister became such a person. He... He... He thought about it repeatedly, unable to accept it. He couldn’t even imagine how he would, or should, cope with such a change.

Beside them, the completely ignored Yue Gongli’s eyelids twitched, his knuckles clenched in fury, wishing he could unleash a move to tear apart the odious face before him. Ah! But even this physical body wasn’t Dao Nitian’s; it was too hateful!

“I’ll kill you!”“I must kill you!”

Yue Gongli’s killing intent surged uncontrollably in his heart, but then his mind suddenly cleared, realizing that demonic energy was gushing out from around him... Oh no! Have I become a Cui Yin?

Realizing this, he should have calmed down, but instead, his heart was once again filled with uncontrollable rage. After a long period of emotional turmoil, Yue Gongli, who finally realized that Dao Qiongcang would have a counter for anything he said, felt as if all strength had been drained from him; he slumped, defeated. With a thud, he limply knelt on the ground, facing Xu Xiaoshou’s stomach:“I’m sorry, truly sorry.”“But brother-in-law, you must believe me, I’m absolutely not what he says. At that time, I didn’t think any of this; I was just... foolish!”“I’m stupid, I’m an idiot, I’m a good-for-nothing! A useless dog!”

Before he could finish speaking, sensitive words came from Dao Qiongcang, whom he had tried to ignore, powerfully overwhelming his mind.Dao Qiongcang: “Usually at times like this, when harsh methods don’t work, what do you resort to?”Cao ErZhu: “Softer ones.”Dao Qiongcang: “What do you mean by ‘softer’?”Cao ErZhu: “Kneeling and begging for mercy?”

Cao ErZhu was speaking the truth. When he couldn’t stand up to his father, he always begged for mercy. For example, last time he wanted to leave the Spirit Refining World independently, but his father wouldn’t allow it.

But no sooner had he finished speaking than Cao ErZhu’s peripheral vision caught sight of Yue Gongli abruptly kneeling on the ground beside him, facing Brother Xiaoshou’s stomach, shouting “I’m a useless dog”...

The world was too quiet. Only a useless dog remained, weeping in the Divine Remains, unable to stop:“Wah!”“I’m not, I didn’t, he’s talking nonsense!”“Brother-in-law, brother-in-law, save me! He wants to kill me, he really wants to kill me, he’s not joking anymore!”

Yue Gongli prostrated himself, sobbing loudly, continuously pounding the ground with his fists. He dared to be angry but not to speak. He dared to hate but not to act.

As a close companion since childhood, he knew Dao Qiongcang’s character too well. The fact that this guy dared to say such things at this moment proved that he truly harbored “killing intent” towards him, precisely when he was most vulnerable. He wants to kill me. But he doesn’t want to kill me at risk to himself. Because if he were to act directly, even if he succeeded in killing him, the various karmic repercussions of a Saint Emperor’s successor falling, and the various soul-reaping methods of the Saint Emperor Clans... He wouldn’t be able to bear it; he feared trouble, and it would be detrimental to his future development. Someone who plans to return to the Holy Divine Continent, even if they dared and were able to kill a Cui Yin, would not dare to actively kill him. But passively, it’s possible! These are two completely different natures!

At this moment, Dao Qiongcang needed a knife and then to use someone else to kill. Ba Zun’an was the knife he openly wished to manipulate. Covertly, if he couldn’t react, then he himself would be Dao Qiongcang’s true knife! If he were to act impulsively at this moment and truly attacked Dao Qiongcang, the latter could entirely “accidentally” kill him in self-defense. While a living Saint Emperor’s successor was indeed far more valuable than a mere cultivator from a Saint Emperor Clan, if he were to be counter-killed due to initiating an attack, the Qianshi Imperial Realm wouldn’t even have time to protect Dao Qiongcang!

Yue Gongli could even imagine Dao Qiongcang’s excuses at that time:“He attacked me then!”“I had just finished fighting Cui Yin, I was scared, and I was even guided!”“I’m using Kui Leihan’s son’s body, and I can’t precisely control the power!”“Yes, that’s right, you’re saying it correctly, so the real murderer is Cao ErZhu!”“Right, right, right, the son pays the father’s debt. Kui Leihan should have died; I said he should have died thirty years ago, but you wouldn’t listen to me!”

Killing two birds with one stone? No, too many birds with one stone, too many to count. If he died, the structure of the Five Great Saint Emperor Clans would be rewritten, Kui Leihan and Cao ErZhu would be held accountable, and Xu Xiaoshou and Ba Zun’an wouldn’t be able to escape responsibility... One move affects the whole body; Dao Qiongcang could use him as a lever to pry open the entire Holy Divine Continent.

Impossible! Utterly impossible! Can’t kill him! Absolutely can’t kill him!

In this victorious endgame, Dao Qiongcang played with people as if they were dogs. Aside from prostrating oneself and desperately begging for mercy, any single out-of-line action would lead to a fatal disaster. And he, Yue Gongli, had hidden in the Divine Remains to survive until now, successfully staying alive. If all his efforts were to fail, and he were to die by Dao Qiongcang’s final “convenient removal,” which wasn’t even a reckoning... Wouldn’t that be too humiliating a death?

“Enough.”

He had wailed bitterly for about half a cup of tea’s time, abandoning all dignity in front of these people. Yue Gongli finally heard his brother-in-law’s voice, tinged with coolness and a sense of unfamiliarity and distance. He lifted his head, terror on his face, yet his heart felt as if it had received a great pardon. I’ve survived...

Dao Qiongcang narrowed his eyes, inwardly lamenting, ‘What a pity,’ but he understood; after all, Ba Zun’an wasn’t foolish.

Xu Xiaoshou’s stomach rumbled, and Ba Zun’an then spoke, completely disregarding the matters concerning Yue Gongli and himself:“I will depart. This battlefield is now yours; it concerns me no longer.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Yue Gongli wailed:“Brother-in-law!”“Take me with you, at least take me, I...”He instinctively wanted to say “my sister still needs me to bring her food,” but abruptly stopped himself. Good heavens, those words couldn’t be uttered. In such a delicate atmosphere, even if he were sincere, saying it would only sound like a “threat.”

Ba Zun’an originally didn’t want to bother with this mess, but before leaving, he might unleash a furious sword strike for his sister... Even if he eventually realized he was used and regretted it, it wasn’t entirely impossible for this to happen. The Eighth Sword Immortal was, of course, calm. But in the Spirit Refining World, were there few cases of passionate killings? Moreover, ancient sword cultivators all acted on impulse; if they suddenly wanted to kill you today, would they need a reason?

You accursed Dao Nitian! Don’t you dare give me an opening, truly! I will absolutely, absolutely make you suffer unbearable pain, wish you were dead, and make your death utterly meaningless!

“I... I’ll die...” Yue Gongli’s words were on the tip of his tongue, but only a bitter expression remained on his face.

Ba Zun’an’s voice betrayed no emotion:“It’s better to rely on yourself than on others. Moreover, at this moment, you shouldn’t rely on me, but on Grandmaster Shou.”

Xu Xiaoshou? Yue Gongli hastily looked up, his gaze meeting Xu Xiaoshou’s, and he caught a fleeting glint of murderous intent in his eyes. Indeed, at first, Xu Xiaoshou had thought Dao Qiongcang was just joking with Yue Gongli. But with how things had unfolded, he truly wanted to become the flashy old Daoist’s sword and kill! He was already living a wretched life with too much karma, probably even Cui Yin was plotting how to land on the Holy Divine Continent and return to take revenge on him. Adding the Cold Palace Imperial Realm as an enemy was just a matter of time; it didn’t really matter. While Rao Yaoyao’s lesson was indeed a precedent—if one foolish one died, a clever one would emerge. It was also said that if one Saint Emperor’s successor died, there would be another; they simply couldn’t be completely eliminated, as the foundation of the Saint Emperor Clans couldn’t be that simple. But this also depended on the situation. If Yue Gongli died, and Yue Gongnu took his place, wouldn’t she be one of their own? Although Li Fugui had also said that anyone who could become a Saint Emperor’s successor would only be loyal to their family...

“Grandmaster Shou!!!”

While he was thinking, Yue Gongli burst into tears:“I’ve been good to you, haven’t I? Ever since I took over as the Red Robe Overseer, I haven’t targeted you, have I? How Rao Yaoyao treated you, and how I treated you—ask yourself! I didn’t attack you in the Four Symbols Secret Realm, did I? Nor did I attack the Saint Slaves, did I? Even in the Divine Remains, it was just minor skirmishes; at critical moments, we weren’t enemies, but teammates, right? Can’t you see that Dao Qiongcang wants to kill me? He’s a selfish person. You should understand the principle that when the lips are gone, the teeth feel cold, Grandmaster Shou! If I’m here, he has to be wary of our potential alliance. If I’m not here, his next target might not be you... but you’ll definitely move up one spot on his list of people to deal with!”

It must be said that the power a person can unleash in desperation is infinite. Yue Gongli’s thoughts at this moment were so clear that he didn’t seem like someone provoked to the brink of madness.

Xu Xiaoshou calmed down. From the Moon Fox’s words, he gleaned the most profound insight: Dao Qiongcang was a selfish person! This was almost identical to Ba Zun’an’s previous warning: In the Divine Remains, one should be teammates with the flashy old Daoist, but once outside, it was crucial to maintain distance. One could be anyone’s sword, but never Dao Qiongcang’s. Because neither the killer nor the killed would come to a good end.

“Hmph.”

Dao Qiongcang heard this and let out a cold laugh. Just as he believed himself to be, he wasn’t petty and didn’t care about Yue Gongli’s vague warning. Instead, he ignored the fellow and called out to Ba Zun’an before he left:“Ba Zun’an, give me some advice!”

Cao ErZhu, rarely managing to pull himself away from the changing situation, was stunned again upon hearing this. There was only ever the saying “I give you a piece of advice”; when did it become a situation where you kept someone and then said something like this? This strange uncle’s way of thinking and speaking was truly beyond what a normal person could synchronize with. Never mind, stop thinking...

Yue Gongli also let out a soft sigh of relief. When Xu Xiaoshou also abandoned the idea of killing him, this matter could finally be put behind them.

Xu Xiaoshou could clearly feel Ba Zun’an’s impending departure, as the figure in the ancient book world was as blurry as before, its sentience gone. But Ba Zun’an’s final, fragmented voice still came through, not minding such a small request:“If I were you... body... return to... ErZhu...”

Such a piece of advice, no one would have expected. Dao Qiongcang’s eyebrow twitched slightly, instantly realizing that his previous speculation had been correct. Kui Leihan, unable to enter the situation personally, must have broken through the town’s defenses in some way and made contact with Ba Zun’an. So now, although Kui Leihan had not yet become a Saint, the path of Spirit Refining should no longer be sufficient to measure his combat strength. Has the Thorough Divine Sense progressed beyond the third generation? The third generation of Thorough Divine Sense referred to the six transformations Cao ErZhu had mastered. And Kui Leihan, being able to break through the town’s blockade, must have advanced it by another level, or even more than one?

“Thank you for the advice, I will follow it. And finally, I’ll give you a word in return!” Regardless of whether Ba Zun’an had already left, Dao Qiongcang said calmly, his eyes fixed on his nose, his mind at peace:“I will not become the Saint Emperor’s successor of the Qianshi Imperial Realm. In the future, I can still cooperate with the Saint Slaves and the First Building in the Heavens. Look forward to it. If you ask why...”He paused, then Dao Qiongcang smiled, pulled a card from Cao ErZhu’s body, and completely withdrew himself:“I am only loyal to myself, and thus I cannot pass the ‘Heart-Questioning’ stage of the Saint Emperor’s successor examination.”