Chapter 1661: Summoning the Reincarnation Ferry to Come and Go, Dao Ancestor's Inheritance Self-Destructs to Open

Jinren!

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly realized. Guiying had been gone for so long, and the internal and external seals had been cut, so why was there no visual from Jinren's side?

The second true body allowed for interconnected thoughts. Previously, when his main body was outside and Jinren was in the ruins, he could use this connection to transfer the "sadness" effect when fighting Bei Huai, allowing Jinren to cry on his behalf without cost. Otherwise, during the Four Symbols Secret Realm, he might have been killed by Bei Huai—Bei Huai's ability was too disgusting, capable of forcibly interrupting enemy spellcasting and creating many battle opportunities.

Later, when his main body entered the ruins and Jinren went outside, they could still use their previous connection for Jinren to ask Li Fugui and Long Xing some questions. But now... how had they lost contact? Could it be that Guiying's blockade was still in effect, and the Divine Ruins could still only be entered, not exited?

"What's wrong?" Dao Qiongcang turned his head at the sound, thinking Xu Xiaoshou had remembered something about his master and broken free from the lingering effects of the Memory Path.

"Do you have any way to confirm that Guiying truly can't interfere with entry and exit to the Divine Ruins?" Xu Xiaoshou didn't say it explicitly.

Dao Qiongcang smiled and replied, "That depends on you, Lord Shou. You are the master of the Divine Ruins, controlling the Heaven Realm Core. Why don't you try to change the guiding grand path here?"

Change... What does that mean?

"Don't ask, just listen to me and change it first," Dao Qiongcang spoke mysteriously. "Hold the Heaven Realm Core, and let your will trace the 'Guiding Grand Path.' You don't need to change it to normal; you probably can't anyway. Just revert it to the guiding rule set by the God-Slayer Dye Ming before Guiying's influence, allowing free entry and exit."

Xu Xiaoshou hesitated for a moment, thinking that since everyone was still in the Divine Ruins, he could listen to the flamboyant old Daoist's words. So he produced the Heaven Realm Core and did exactly as told. The whole world didn't shake, nor was there any buzzing sound. Silently, the Guiding Grand Path switched back to how it was set by the God-Slayer Dye Ming.

"What exactly is the meaning of this?" After finishing, Xu Xiaoshou had a bad feeling.

Because he truly couldn't change the Guiding Grand Path to "return to a specific location on the Sacred Continent via the tree gate, rather than just exiting the way one entered." Theoretically, Xu Xiaoshou could understand: after all, the Divine Ruins, as the Heaven Realm Triangle, were the Ancestral God's "spiritual abode." The rules here were different from those of the Sacred Continent, on a higher level. Coming from there used the term "Feather Ascent," which was essentially not "spatial teleportation" but "guiding reincarnation." Going from here naturally also had to be "guiding," not just instantly traversing starry skies and various astral currents.

But while knowing the theory, the subjective feeling wasn't good. After he went out, Ai Cangsheng might be waiting for him with a drawn bow aimed at his forehead for half a month; the thought was a bit terrifying. Of course, the feeling of being predicted by Dao Qiongcang was even worse.

"Are you going to tell me or not!" Seeing Xu Xiaoshou's displeased expression, Dao Qiongcang finally seemed to speak sense, pointing vaguely towards the other side, intending to indicate the Sacred Continent:

"They don't know what happened here. But from the perspective of the entire continent, even though the craze for entering the ruins has passed, people probably understand that something is wrong here. There are still a group of people who, after long hesitation and struggle, will shout the name 'Dye Ming' and choose to take a chance – their lives have no retreat. Before, they could enter but not exit. Now, if you change the rule and kill one more person, we'll see if he dies or exits, won't that make it clear?"

What a simple and crude method! But wasn't it a bit too inhumane?

Just as he was thinking, Dao Qiongcang suddenly pursed his lips, his eyes curving into a silent smile. Xu Xiaoshou's pupils trembled.

"You..."

"Yes, Lord Shou, I'm done killing."

There were actually still people in the Divine Ruins. Earlier, when Guiying was still there, these people were directly refined by the grand formation after entering, quite honorably assimilated with Guiying, whether they were Dao Slashers or Grand Void cultivators.

Now that Guiying was gone, those who still dared to enter the Divine Ruins in small groups had successfully survived. They landed in the First Heaven, finished watching the entrance animation in their minds, then opened their eyes and stood frozen in place.

"What a Divine Ruin!" It truly lived up to its name as a battlefield of gods; it was indeed too ruinous. It was as if it had been plowed by an ox; not a single piece of land was good. Even if he ran for half a day, logically speaking, after so many years, even if the battle was the most chaotic at the time, given the spiritual energy concentration and ownerless holy power here... Spirit plants should have long grown in clusters, and spiritual artifacts should be flying around, right? But there wasn't even a single tenth-grade spirit medicine, let alone first or second-grade ones or holy medicines! There wasn't even a single divine weapon or sharp blade, only some broken blade fragments in corners, with anything the size of a fingernail considered large!

"It doesn't look like there were ancient divine wars; it looks more like a divine war just ended yesterday..." Liu Guifen scratched his head, finding the place very strange.

He was born in the Eastern Domain, currently 172 years old, possessing a Pure Yang Body. He had not broken his cultivation so far, cultivated at a divine speed, and finally broke through to the Grand Void realm 63 years ago. To put it a bit boastfully, the Eighth Sword Immortal back then was nothing.

Liu Guifen had a dream: to participate in the Ten Venerables tournament and become Emperor Guifen of the Sacred Temple – a name that would ring loud and clear. A hundred years later, he finally had an epiphany: this wasn't a dream; it was a fantasy. He participated in the Ten Venerables five times, failing the preliminary round every time. It didn't matter; he successfully outlived the Ten Venerables, as the Sacred Temple officially announced that the competition would no longer be held.

And now... "Divine Ruins, this old one, Liu Guifen, has arrived!" *Splat.*

Just as he finished his boast, a blurry figure suddenly dropped from the empty space in front of him. Liu Guifen's century-plus of experience in the jianghu told him that the newcomer meant no good. After landing, the white-robed figure smiled at him, and soon after, offered him a dagger: "Commit suicide."

In his 172 years of life, Liu Guifen had never been so speechless. This was too ridiculous. He, Liu Guifen, a dignified Grand Void cultivator, a renowned figure in the Eastern Domain. He was, by any account, the current Hall Master of Guifen Hall, having weathered countless trials in the jianghu, witnessing the rise and fall of four generations of Ten Venerables, and the past and fates of over twenty Sword Immortals... "Uh." Before Liu Guifen could even twitch his lips into a smile, before he could assume a defensive stance to resist, his thoughts suddenly broke, and he nodded calmly, as if having come to terms with life and death: "Alright."

In his memory, ever since he was bullied as a child, he had harbored a firm conviction: If he could live to be 172, he absolutely had to go to a certain dilapidated ruin, find a certain person, take their dagger, slit his own throat, and end this mediocre life... His entire life had been a struggle for this. And today, the end could finally be met. Liu Guifen closed his eyes, his mind devoid of desires, a stillness settling as if dust had finally fallen.

"Chhh." The dagger cut across his throat, but no blood splattered. An invisible, illusory tree gate appeared, and Liu Guifen stumbled into it, vanishing.

"Gasp!" Liu Guifen suddenly woke up, sat upright, a cold sweat breaking out all over him. What met his eyes were cave walls draped with cobwebs and a small stone table covered in dust...

His brain throbbed faintly. Liu Guifen rubbed it, and memories flooded back like a tide: cave, stone bed, isolated cultivation, desperate struggle...

After 172 years of mediocrity, rather than growing old with such an ordinary life, it was better to enter the Divine Ruins and gamble for a Semi-Saint opportunity. Succeed or die trying! And then... "How did I come back?" Liu Guifen was somewhat bewildered. He remembered hesitating for over half a month, and then calling out "Dye Ming" to enter. What was going on now?

He rubbed it twice; not only did his head ache internally, but externally too. A faint liquid seemed to trace his eye corner, leaving a raw sensation – blood? Liu Guifen quickly stopped his vigorous head-rubbing.

"Hiss!" He opened his hand to look, gasping in a cold breath. Lying quietly in his hand was an emerald green dagger, with fresh bloodstains from his head, and a piece of flesh. "Did I cut this off?" "Did I almost kill myself?" "Damn it, how did this dagger appear..."

Just as Liu Guifen was scared half to death and about to come out of seclusion to throw this ominous item far away, his mind suddenly quaked. Mystical mist emerged, gathering into shadowy, fragmented ancient images, too blurry to discern clearly, but conveying a sense of grandeur, power, and eternity! "What in the world..." Liu Guifen hesitantly twitched his lips, his eyelids twitched twice, and he shook his head, trying to discard those unrealistic thoughts.

"Beep." A clear sound appeared. At this, Liu Guifen abruptly stood up, his terrifying Grand Void aura directly shattering the entire cave and bursting through the ceiling.

"What is this!" "Get out of my head!" "This old man doesn't believe in such things, scram!" His pupils almost burst as he desperately clutched his forehead and threw the dagger away. But in the next breath, the dagger returned to his hand, vanished, and embedded itself into his flesh, forming a faint tattoo on his palm.

"Blood recognition?" Liu Guifen's mood exploded. How absurd was this? He just scratched his head, and this thing recognized him as its master because it scraped off some flesh? Was it a divine artifact, an evil artifact, or...

"Wait!" Divine Ruins? I returned from the Divine Ruins? Forgot the experiences inside, but gained this ancient item?

After Liu Guifen calmed down, he felt his blood flow quicken, and his body began to heat up – not because of his Pure Yang Body, but because of heightened excitement! "An opportunity?" "An opportunity!"

Yes! Liu Guifen didn't believe in such things. But after 172 years, it was his turn for good fortune to grant him an opportunity, right? Not too much to ask, right? What's the harm in believing?

He calmed himself, thinking that since it had come, he should accept it, and see what the dagger's origin was. He waited for about a quarter of an hour. The dagger continuously absorbed his spiritual essence. Liu Guifen was a Grand Void cultivator, not merely at the first or second Post-Heaven realms; if it wanted spiritual essence... it could have as much as it needed! He desperately supplied it, unafraid of death. Until finally, the sound he almost thought was a hallucination rang out again.

"Beep!" This moment was eternity. It felt as though a century had passed. When Liu Guifen came back to his senses, he shook his head and smiled. He slowly raised his gaze, looking towards the forest before him. The lingering glow of the sunset fell upon his aged face, coloring the crow's feet at his eye corners with flakes of golden scales... A gentle breeze drifted by, subtly carrying fragrance. Plants fragrant, all things imbued with spirit. Having lived 172 years, it was the first time Liu Guifen felt the world was so colorful and vibrant!

In his mind, perhaps because it had absorbed spiritual essence, more information appeared this time: "Beep!" "Detecting a Pure Yang Body with a bone age of 172 years, unique in this era, conforming to the 'uniqueness' standard." "Dao Ancestor Inheritance activating..." Dao Ancestor? Liu Guifen's heart skipped a beat; he said nothing.

Although it was annoying that it directly detected he'd been single for almost two centuries, he hadn't expected this to also count as "unique." Presumably, the dagger artifact was performing an automatic scan. It was fortunate he still had this unique attribute.

"A mediocre life, yet I never thought this old man would have such an extreme quality; it's quite astonishing..." He had to admit, the four characters "Dao Ancestor Inheritance" made his heart pound. Having lived several lifetimes' worth for ordinary people, Liu Guifen had heard of the Ten Ancestors, but never of a Dao Ancestor. No matter, it couldn't be an Ancestor fabricated by the dagger artifact, could it?

"Beep!" "Detected that this plane is too small and spiritual energy is sparse; Dao Ancestor Inheritance activation failed." "Please, 'Liu Guifen,' begin tasks to successively unlock parts of the inheritance, gradually ascending to the Grand Dao and becoming an Ancestral Founder."

What? What a tone! Ascend to the Grand Dao, become an Ancestral Founder... is *this* what it means to be a "Dao Ancestor"? Liu Guifen was greatly startled. This thing's tone was too arrogant; could that Dao Ancestor be above the Ten Ancestors? And it even knew his name... Uh, it seemed the priorities were reversed. Given how arrogant it was, it probably came from some "God Realm" or similar, so knowing his true name was nothing remarkable.

"Dagger, how do I start the tasks?" Liu Guifen tried calling out in his mind. With 172 years of jianghu experience, he tried addressing the "Dao Ancestor Inheritance" as "Dagger" first. First offend, then compensate; back and forth, they would become familiar, and he would have forged a connection – this wasn't being slick, this was how to deal with people. If he didn't offend, he couldn't get close; they would be fated but without a connection, destined not to be together in this life – Liu Guifen was rich in theoretical knowledge.

The "Dao Ancestor Inheritance" seemed to be on too grand a scale, not caring about his demeaning address. After hearing him, it simply aloofly projected a list of glowing text.

Liu Guifen squinted, still a little unaccustomed. A list appeared before his eyes, full of tasks and rewards: "Submit a tenth-grade spirit sword, Reward Contribution Points: 1." "Submit a tenth-grade elixir, Reward Contribution Points: 1." "Submit a tenth-grade formation disc, Reward Contribution Points: 1." "Submit a tenth-grade cultivation method, Reward Contribution Points: 1."

Row after row, column after column, why was it all "submit"? Although the tasks seemed simple, it was a Dao Ancestor Inheritance; it should grant him something! Looking at it this way, it seemed like a scam, all input and no output?

"Dagger, what are contribution points for?" Liu Guifen noticed the detail. His intuition told him this thing might be able to defy fate and change his destiny.

The dagger remained aloof, still not speaking. After just a "Beep," a box popped up with a redemption list: "Ancient Martial Art: Nine Dragon Body Forging Art, cultivatable to final chapter, capable of opening Eight Gates, 30 million contribution points..."

"What? Can open Eight Gates?" After silently reading, Liu Guifen was shocked. His heart pounded faster as he continued to read: "Legacy Stele Divine Artifact: Hundred-Foot Sword, 10 million contribution points... What? It has Legacy Stele Divine Artifacts too?" "Heavenly Secrets Art from beginner to basic, 100,000 contribution points... What? It has the Hall Master Dao's Heavenly Secrets Art too? Does it have from basic to mastery?" "Violent Saint-Breaker Pill... Oh my goodness, this can directly make one a Saint, even with drawbacks and aftereffects, and it's only 1 million contribution points?" "What's the highest prize? What is it!"

Liu Guifen realized he might have seized a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He had to see the "ultimate dream." From this day forward, dreams were no longer fantasies!

Pulling the list to the very top, Liu Guifen was startled by the glittering golden words: "Dao Ancestor Inheritance, 1% progress, required for redemption: 100 million contribution points." "Note: Each 1% unlock of the Dao Ancestor Inheritance brings a qualitative leap to the inheritor."

A qualitative leap... Liu Guifen staggered. The dagger didn't explicitly state what kind of leap it was, but he could already imagine it. And 100 million contribution points... He'd risk his life! He had to earn enough! If he could earn 10 billion contribution points in this lifetime...

"Tsk..." Liu Guifen chuckled, head bowed. "Heh heh..." Liu Guifen lifted his head and laughed. "Ah ha ha ha..." Liu Guifen threw his head back, laughing wildly amidst the mountains and forests. He could already see his future. His fate, after 172 years, had finally been changed for this old man!

"Emperor Guifen?" "No! Dao Ancestor Guifen!" "And an Ancestral Founder, an Ancestral Founder above the Ten Ancestors!"

After a period of excitement, Liu Guifen fiddled with it some more and finally figured out what the dagger's "Dao Ancestor Inheritance" was. It was simply doing tasks, earning contribution points, being able to redeem anything, and once he accumulated 100 million, he could redeem the Dao Ancestor Inheritance. Simple and crude!

As for the tasks... of course, he couldn't earn points bit by bit. This inheritance came too late; the earlier tasks were clearly meant for Post-Heaven Spirit Refiners to complete. Liu Guifen was never a pessimistic person; he wouldn't ponder why such an opportunity came so late. The advantage of receiving the Dao Ancestor Inheritance at 172 was that he could directly skip the beginner stage and complete the highest difficulty tasks!

"Let this old man see, what kind of difficult tasks are there..." "Join the war between the Crescent Moon Immortal City and the Sacred Temple, become Xiao Kongtong's right-hand man, Reward Contribution Points: 10 million."

Yes, high-difficulty tasks weren't just about submissions; they perfectly aligned with the current situation on the Sacred Continent. This dagger was too intelligent. After inspecting him, it also inspected this plane and casually issued "training tasks"? Advanced! Truly advanced!

"But Crescent Moon Immortal City is the territory of ancient sword cultivators. I don't even have innate sword intent, so I'm destined not to become Senior Brother's right-hand man..." Liu Guifen thought for a while and abandoned this task. He selected again; there were tasks to develop power in the Southern Domain, to resist interdimensional spatial rifts in the Northern Domain, and even, ridiculously, to plant trees in the Western Domain, turning the entire yellow Western Desert green.

"Reward: 1 billion contribution points!" "This is directly one-tenth of the Dao Ancestor Inheritance!" "Absurd! If this old man didn't know that the Western Desert's desertification wasn't due to natural evolution, but had other internal variables, I might have actually gone to plant trees..." "But looking at it this way, this Dao Ancestor Inheritance seems quite benevolent."

Liu Guifen smiled. After concluding that this was a "righteous inheritance," he skipped this task. In truth, even if the inheritance were evil, he felt it would be acceptable, as long as it could redeem genuine items. After all, with a weapon in hand, one could be both righteous and evil; it mainly depended on the person. And he, Liu Guifen, with his Pure Yang Body, was a god of justice!

Not daring to fantasize further, Liu Guifen quickly found the only high-difficulty task he felt he could handle: "Go to the City of Dead Buddhist Pagodas, infiltrate the Crossroads, become the Lord of the North Street, Reward: 10 million contribution points."

City of Dead Buddhist Pagodas, Crossroads... Before this, Liu Guifen wouldn't even dare to think about it, nor would he go to such a gathering place for death cultists and villains. How was this different from walking to his death? What was the concept behind the four street lords of the Crossroads? "Lord of the East Street, Shen Yi!" Just the sound of that title and name in his mind made Liu Guifen, who had participated in the Ten Venerables tournament only to be eliminated early but had watched the battles, almost burst his guts from fright.

But now... Shen Yi? Hmph! Just a mere Shen Yi!

"Claim." Liu Guifen unhesitatingly claimed the Newbie Inheritance Grand Gift Pack. Upon opening it, inside were treasures worth 200 million contribution points. 100 million were contribution points, clearly meant for him to redeem a small percentage of the Dao Ancestor Inheritance for an initial qualitative leap. The other 100 million were treasures, including the previously seen Ancient Martial Art: Nine Dragon Body Forging Art, the Legacy Stele Divine Artifact: Hundred-Foot Sword, and other spirit techniques, trump cards, and so on... With this gift pack opened, among all Grand Void cultivators, who could be Liu Guifen's match?

"Hahahahahaha!" "Hahahahahaha!" Liu Guifen threw his head back and laughed wildly, tears streaming down his face. No one could understand the joy of good fortune striking late in life; it was almost comparable to having a child in old age.

As for the latter... Liu Guifen knew that it was impossible for him in this lifetime. Unless contribution points could be used to redeem a child, otherwise, if a Pure Yang Body cultivated with another person, he would immediately break his cultivation and die on the spot.

"Depart!" Liu Guifen turned his head to look west. Central Domain, City of Dead Buddhist Pagodas, Crossroads, Lord of the North Street! First become Emperor Guifen, then Dao Ancestor Guifen... This world would ultimately be Liu Guifen's!

"Oh, right, I need to receive the inheritance first."

"That's it?" "All killed?" In the Divine Ruins, observed through the Heaven Realm Core, and replayed through spatial profoundness, Xu Xiaoshou could clearly see that Dao Qiongcang, in that instant, slaughtered a total of 3,762 people in the Divine Ruins. While he was right here, he found all those people, no matter where they hid, and handed them all daggers. And then they committed suicide! Without any resistance!

"But they didn't die, did they?" Dao Qiongcang's lips curled up, his eyes smiling as he said: "If no one died, I'm not a bad person. And I never arbitrarily control others' lives; I advocate 'equivalent exchange' – anyone who has done something for me, even if it's just this one experiment, I will grant them an opportunity."

An opportunity? Xu Xiaoshou looked suspicious. Can anything good come from him? It wouldn't be an opportunity to refine them into Heavenly Secret puppets, calling it "eternal life," would it?

"Heavenly secrets must not be revealed," Dao Qiongcang's smile was enigmatic: "In short, they will get what they want, and I will get what I want. In a sense, I am quite fair."

Get lost! Xu Xiaoshou couldn't be bothered to play guessing games with this riddle-master and directly asked: "Where did they go after they exited? Don't tell me you didn't leave a backup plan on them, and you don't know where they went!"

Dao Qiongcang sincerely shook his head: "I truly don't know that, Lord Shou. Even if I had a backup plan, how could it break through the barrier between the Divine Ruins and the Sacred Continent and awaken within them? I'm just Dao Qiongcang; I'm not a Dao Ancestor!"

After a pause, he stretched out his hand, his fingers calculating with a golden glow, then continued: "But if I had to guess, there's a seventy percent chance they returned to their original locations. Xu Xiaoshou, stop thinking about it. Go back and face Ai Cangsheng. He must have been waiting for you for a long time."

At that time, he was reckless... Xu Xiaoshou sighed heavily, his thoughts deeply conflicted. If he had known earlier about Shen Yi's strength, he definitely wouldn't have uttered such arrogant words in front of Ai Cangsheng. Li Fugui, I regret not listening to your words; my heart aches!

"But it's not like there's no way..." Soon, Xu Xiaoshou raised his head, regaining his composure. Since people could exit, it meant his connection with Jinren should be able to link up. So why couldn't he see the situation on Jinren's side? There was only one truth!

"Jinren... committed suicide..." Xu Xiaoshou's heavy thought lingered here. Jinren probably realized he couldn't contact his main body and feared that his unique second true body would occupy the main body's qualification to spawn another. So, rather than staying idle outside, he might as well commit suicide to give the main body a chance – the Divine Ruins were so dangerous, the main body would definitely need to spawn someone to help in battle. The truth was, after the connection broke, Jinren didn't know that his main body was unaware of his suicide, and Xu Xiaoshou's main body had always been afraid to spawn another, fearing he would burst Jinren. He had to preserve this connection, waiting to see when it could reconnect, so he could ask Jinren to go to the Eastern Heavens to invite the Eighth Sword Immortal. As a result, neither side benefited, their intentions unused, utterly lacking in coordination. The Eighth Sword Immortal was only invited after the Heavenly Ancestor's Eye was summoned.

"My Jinren..." Jinren hadn't been able to help, but Xu Xiaoshou understood his suicidal intent and was touched. He decided to spawn another. "Here's what we'll do." Xu Xiaoshou said to Dao Qiongcang, while simultaneously unbuttoning his clothes and casting a vanishing spell: "I'll spawn... I'll summon an external avatar. My main body will stay in the Divine Ruins for now. Let the avatar go with you to the Southern Domain to see if he can contact me. If he can, I have many tricky maneuvers I want to try."