Chapter 1663: Voodoo Plague Locks the Memory River, Schemes Decide Life and Death for the Scaled Snake

"Boom!"

The boundary of darkness was shattered by immense force. From within the chaos, a massive serpent's tail lashed out, tearing through space and creating a shocking sight.

As the seal broke, a serpent's head quickly emerged from within, covered in white scales, with purple eyes, frantically, desperately, and fearfully trying to force its way out.

"Dao: Grand Suppression Art!"

A soft chuckle came from an unknown place. Suddenly, the pressure in this realm shifted; an immense, oppressive force seemed to descend.

"Hiss—"

After a shrill scream, the profound Heavenly Secret light evolved from behind the giant serpent, transforming into countless chains that dragged its body back into the shattered space.

The shattered space calmed and mended. In the ethereal world, a long-haired figure in white robes slowly walked forward, exuding an air of leisurely stroll. His upper garment was open, casually draped over his hips, revealing his upper body covered in intricate tattoos. The sky-blue Dao patterns seemed fundamentally different from the black-and-red Heavenly Secret light and Heavenly Secret Dao patterns that had appeared on the Sacred God Continent. These Dao patterns were rich with vitality, rising and falling as the long-haired man in white moved, and pulsating with the shifting contours of his muscles.

"Thump-thump...""Thump-thump..."

Imperceptibly, a rhythmic beat resonated—whether it was the giant serpent's heartbeat, the man's heartbeat, or even the pulse of the Dao patterns, or perhaps the Great Dao itself, it pulsed steadily.

"Dao Qiongcang! Release me!"

The chains suddenly thrashed violently. The sky-obscuring giant serpent writhed fiercely. Its vicious tongue flicked out, almost striking the dust-sized human below. But when the distance was less than a hand's breadth, it reached its limit. The man finally stopped, maintaining a "safe distance" from the bound serpent spirit in the void.

"I am known as 'Second Generation'." The man, who closely resembled Dao Qiongcang, spoke, slowly raising his gaze and saying: "The Dao Qiongcang in the Divine Remains is called 'Third Generation'; he is unique and designated as the 'main body'. He created the Ten Venerable Seats, he served as the Dao Hall Master, and all traces of 'Dao Qiongcang' on the Sacred God Continent were left by him. The one you called out to, that was him, wasn't it?"

The giant serpent fell silent. The chains in the void swayed gently, seemingly revealing the serpent spirit's unease and the growing confusion after receiving the explanation.

"Third Generation's name is 'Dao Qiongcang'. For better distinction, you can call me 'Second Generation'—it doesn't matter, names are just pronouns, and the generational distinction doesn't imply superiority or inferiority; it merely reflects different responsibilities and tasks."

After a pause, the Dao Qiongcang who called himself "Second Generation" continued: "Third Generation's Half-Saint avatars, his sentient Heavenly Secret puppets, his Heavenly Secret brain, and all his 'bodies' that can be used as substitutes are collectively referred to as 'Fourth Generation'. Anything below that, regardless of strength, is categorized as 'Fifth Generation'. Baizhou, this is 'me,' the 'me' as you understand it!"

The giant serpent fell silent a second time. It was strange; the language spoken was that of the Sacred God Continent, and each word could be understood individually. But when put together, it felt utterly absurd.

"Thinking, indeed, brings quiet..." Second Generation smiled, lowering his gaze. He also seemed to be a Dao Qiongcang with a distinct personality; as long as his own objective was met, he would satisfy others' objectives: "Equivalent exchange, you may ask one question."

The giant serpent spirit was Baizhou. He had struggled for a long time in this space, which seemed to be inside a formation disk, but failed to break free. Now, finally encountering the true captor, though feeling a bit unhinged, he wouldn't miss the opportunity and asked: "What is the difference between Second Generation and Third Generation?"

"You asked a question I've already explained. I didn't expect your curiosity about me would outweigh your desire to explore your own fate," Second Generation chuckled. But he was clearly not one to use platitudes to evade questions; he concisely reiterated: "Third Generation walks the world; Second Generation never appears. Third Generation handles all matters except combat; Second Generation handles combat. If necessary, for survival, Third Generation can apply for unsealing to gain Second Generation's power. However, no one has forced him down this path yet, so I have never taken action. In short, people on the Sacred God Continent can only, at most, see Third Generation, which is 'Dao Qiongcang'. You cannot see me."

He raised his head, gazing at the colossal serpent in the void, yet it was like looking down from a lofty height, disdainfully saying: "You cannot see the single technique that can suppress even those weaker than you, and I am far more formidable!"

Baizhou fell silent a third time. Hearing the last sentence, he could be certain this was Dao Qiongcang. It had that flamboyant air... And also the demeanor of someone who had been trapped for a long time and gone a little mad...

"So, you don't see the light of day, and that's why you're rambling on to me now?" Baizhou seemed to understand something.

Second Generation's expression stiffened. He did not answer the question.

The giant serpent twisted its body again. After realizing it truly couldn't break free from the chains, it sneered: "Am I some existence that surpasses Suiyin? Second Generation, whom even Suiyin couldn't see, I've seen him? To deal with me, you truly went to great lengths, designing such an elaborate setup... Is it just to highlight the mystery and supreme strength of some 'First Generation'?"

"Do you need me to cooperate and ask you? Fine! What about First Generation? What is First Generation? An existence beyond the Ancestral Gods?" The giant serpent laughed wildly: "Dao Ancestor? Progenitor? Or some original creator of the entire world?"

Second Generation remained silent, pressing a finger to his forehead, muttering softly: "Third Generation's words truly aren't trustworthy. You actually have some brains..."

Baizhou burst into laughter: "I get it now! There really is a difference between you, Second Generation, and Third Generation, and your division of labor is clear. But there's no need to be so subtle—he has a brain, and you simply don't!"

Second Generation pouted unhappily, as if the truth had been revealed. He opened the top of his head, took out a brain, and tossed it into the void. With a soft pop and crackle, the brain exploded, and a vague, shadowy figure emerged.

Dao Qiongcang!

The giant serpent Baizhou's purple eyes trembled. He was indeed not foolish; he could probably guess that Second Generation, unable to resolve the situation, had now thrown out a projection of Third Generation to try. The moment this Dao Qiongcang appeared, his air of leisurely stroll was utterly natural, not at all as deliberate as Second Generation's. He asked nothing. Instead, he twirled his fingers and, as he paced, slowly began to speak:

"One, the 'Xushu Scrolls' record: 'Purple eyes and white scales, a long-bodied insect, born in the Land of Sin, the Witch of White Scales'."

"Two, 'The Five Great Ultimate Bodies' record: 'Body of Witch Poison, source of plague, capable of defiling a region in ten days. The last Witch of White Scales, one of the Six Xushu, is extinct'."

"Three, in the Divine Remains, on the Eighteenth Heaven, before Suiyin's eye first descended, and before Xu Xiaoshou pointed to eradicate Suiyin... you might have forgotten this detail, but you did reveal your ghost beast true form before me... Just like the First Generation Six Xushu recorded in the 'Xushu Scrolls'. Unfortunately, I didn't see your 'Body of Witch Poison' ability, which was my first suspicion: what were you hiding?"

"Four, the Heavenly Infancy Holy Plant possessed a nascent Divine Court. Its immense power was insurmountable for ordinary Half-Saints, let alone a mere Void Ghost Beast... Yet, according to Xu and Yue, you survived within it and even moved with ease amidst the tree sea's attacks... After conversing with them, I had my second suspicion: what were you hiding?"

"Five, the Dyeing Tea Divine Court. Even if Suiyin barely managed to open it, it was still a fully mature Divine Court. The energy consumed to unleash it was immense. Perhaps Emperor Feng Tian alone could have sustained its supply, but if so, he would undoubtedly have been drained to death... The truth is, besides Emperor Feng Tian, two Half-Saints of great insight, two newly advanced Half-Saints, and Yue Gongli also supplied energy... There must have been another major contributor to the energy supply, perhaps even more so than Emperor Feng Tian, to explain why it was drawn upon for so long without anyone being drained to death by the Divine Court."

Reaching this point, the newly appeared Dao Qiongcang looked up and said with a smile: "Human spiritual essence and holy power are cultivated, and most souls are strengthened later in life; naturally, they cannot compare to Xushu. But even if ordinary Xushu are born powerful, they wouldn't be able to supply the Divine Court's energy demands upon first attaining Sainthood. Thus, I had my third suspicion: what you're hiding might be greater than I imagined."

"Indeed, that's the truth!" Second Generation finally found an opening in Dao Qiongcang's speech and chimed in, wanting to seize the final, simplest, yet most brilliant moment, but the Dao Qiongcang beside him pressed his head away.

"Indeed, that is the truth. Emperor Feng Tian's soul body was fragmented, as were those of the Half-Saints of great insight, and Yue Gongli's too; they were all dispirited. Only you, after entering this formation disk, with just a little nourishment from my power, instantly recovered and almost broke through my seal."

"At that time, he was fighting Suiyin..." Second Generation rushed forward indignantly, trying to interrupt again, but was pushed back.

"At that time, I was fighting Suiyin and didn't have time to deal with you. But you are very important, so I could only let you meet him."

"That's right! It was me!" Second Generation put his hands on his hips, puffing out his chest proudly, completely unaware that the Dao Qiongcang beside him had quieted him with nothing more than a small sweet treat.

"I had envisioned many scenarios of going south to engage you in battle and force out the Xuyue Gray Palace's trump cards. Before entering the Divine Remains, I even planned an entire scheme against your Xuyue Gray Palace and entrusted it to Gou Wuyue for execution. Unexpectedly, you entered the Divine Remains first and fell into Suiyin's hands. It helped me remove most of your disguises. Just when you thought you still had a retreat and wouldn't have to reveal your trump card so soon, you conveniently fell into my hands during my 'seemingly weak' period."

"What do you call 'finding something without searching for it'?" Second Generation burst into laughter, his previous aloof demeanor completely gone.

Dao Qiongcang lightly tapped the void with his finger a few times: "This is what's called 'gaining something with no effort at all'. Wouldn't you agree, Baizhou? Or perhaps I should call you by your other names... First Generation Six Xushu, Witch of White Scales, White Scale?"

"Dao! Qiong! Cang!"

A hoarse, hysterical voice emerged, no longer Baizhou's tone. Behind the giant serpent, an even vaster, illusory serpent shadow suddenly reappeared. Under its purple eyes, murderous intent surged like a tide.

"Die—"

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!

No sooner had the words fallen than a sky full of purple ghost energy surged out. This ghost energy seemed to carry an extremely potent corrosive quality. Upon contact, whether it was the chains binding the serpent's body, the Heavenly Secret Dao principles connected to the chains, or even the shattered space itself... everything melted!

"Witch Poison power..."

Dao Qiongcang smiled and took a step back, not worrying about himself. What had arrived here was merely a Half-Saint consciousness avatar, an insignificant Fifth Generation.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Second Generation's face suddenly turned pale, as if he had fallen seriously ill, and his entire being rapidly aged. But as Dao Qiongcang retreated, he immediately stepped forward, forming a hand seal with two fingers, and directly pressed it towards the void: "Dao: Grand Confinement Art!"

Buzz, buzz, buzz!

A profound Heavenly Secret formation diagram unfurled from beneath his feet, its brilliance so dazzling it illuminated the entire chaotic world. The invisible witch poison plague, spreading with the purple ghost energy, was quickly confined within an invisible bottle. Spatial light and shadows rapidly shifted. The sky-obscuring giant serpent rapidly shrank. The figures of Second Generation and Dao Qiongcang expanded infinitely. Finally, the bottle returned to Second Generation's hand. The giant serpent inside the bottle became a small snake, no bigger than Second Generation's thumbnail. Afterward, both of them were practically giants.

The illusory Witch of White Scales serpent behind Baizhou's giant serpent body witnessed this, its eyes filled with astonishment. Was this Second Generation truly skilled in combat? Before it could make any move...

"Dao: Grand Confinement Art!"

Holding the invisible serpent spirit bottle, Second Generation cast another technique, the very same one. Instantly, the shattered space contracted, their two figures expanded once more, and Baizhou and the Witch of White Scales shrank again. Ultimately, this entire space completely condensed, transforming into a formation disk, which came to rest in Second Generation's hand. Yes, all of this occurred within a Heavenly Secret world that had been specially created inside the formation disk.

"Dao: Grand Confinement Art!"

It wasn't over. Second Generation, whose eyes and expression were now obscured by the shrinking scale of the Witch of White Scales, deeply aware of how terrifying the Six Xushu's abilities were, cast another technique. After this technique, Second Generation himself, the formation disk in his hand, and the invisible serpent spirit bottle within the formation disk (representing the "Dao: Grand Confinement Art") were all absorbed into this Half-Saint consciousness avatar of Dao Qiongcang.

A mustard seed containing a Sumeru mountain. The formless containing the formed.

When this Half-Saint consciousness avatar self-annihilated and returned to Dao Qiongcang's main body, everything was then sealed within Dao Qiongcang's main body's memory, becoming an insignificant speck of dust in the long river of memories. Second Generation was gone.

However, Dao Qiongcang could, at any time and any place, by recalling memories, enter the serpent bottle within the formation disk deep in his memory to see Baizhou and the Witch of White Scales. He reappeared, with an equal stature and posture, gazing calmly at Baizhou and the Witch of White Scales before him, who were bound by "confinement," unable to struggle free or break the seal, and said:

"You have many choices. For example, you could be handed over to Bei Huai. He particularly enjoys studying unique ghost beasts like you, and he most lacks an example like yours. Or, you could remain here forever. In this way, with the Xuyue Gray Palace leaderless, my Heavenly Secret Divine Sect can quickly help you achieve your wish for ghost beasts and humans to coexist, for light to manifest in the world—but in my way. Another option is, I could implant a memory in you, making you serve me, and have you return to the Land of Sin in the Southern Region to meet someone..."

He paused.

The illusory figure of the Witch of White Scales behind Baizhou's serpent body struggled frantically, roaring with heartbreaking intensity: "Dao! Qiong! Cang!"

Dao Qiongcang paid no heed, continuing on his own: "Do you know of a person named 'Five Decays of Heavenly Beings'? For some reason, his rise was extremely sudden. By the time I noticed him, he already possessed the Body of Devour, the Body of Decay, and the Body of Immortality simultaneously. Do you think people all have a collecting hobby?"

Dao Qiongcang wondered to himself, as if completely deaf to the frantic roars and curses around him, and said: "Would anyone truly believe that by using the power of devour to consume the other Four Great Ultimate Bodies, supplemented by devouring some Ancestral Origin power, they could single-handedly overturn the entire world order? Actually, such a possibility truly exists; that is the terrifying aspect of the chief of the Five Great Ultimate Bodies! But surely no one would believe that even with him having mastered three Ultimate Bodies, albeit secretly, it still hasn't attracted outside attention, right? Even if the world were blind, and the Five Great Holy Emperor families were blind... what about me? What about me, Dao Qiongcang?"

Dao Qiongcang pointed to himself, bewildered: "What exactly does he want to do? Seek revenge on the Sacred God Hall, destroy the existence of ghost beasts, or kill Bei Huai? It's not important... His goal isn't important, his thoughts aren't important, and even whether he has a collecting hobby isn't important."

Dao Qiongcang shook his head to himself: "Because if, by chance, at this very moment, during the continent's turmoil, and when he believes no one has yet noticed his growth and development... A weakened sealed body, driven out of the Divine Remains by Suiyin, happens to fall before him... will he consume it? If he does, and then a freshly revived Witch of White Scales, forced into desperation by the Dao Hall Master's journey south, also appears before him and attempts to attack him... will he resist?"

He paused, and a shrewd glint appeared in Dao Qiongcang's eyes, as if he had uncovered the ultimate, deepest secret. He muttered mystically: "What kind of power would one gain by gathering all Five Great Ultimate Bodies? And what story would unfold after achieving that goal? If, in the end, he loses and dies at the hands of his enemies, that would prove his path was wrong from the start... that's not worth mentioning. But if he wins, yet due to devouring too many people during his cultivation, his memories become disordered, and eventually all memories assimilate, merging into an entirely new person, would he still be himself? And what about me?"

Dao Qiongcang stroked his chin, his gaze burning with intensity: "What if, by chance, one of those memories was my disguise, implanted by me, and my Dao of Memory surpassed the Dao itself? After integrating everything, transforming him, who seemed chaotic, into a stable avatar of me... Who would have won? No matter who wins, I will not lose."

Dao Qiongcang suddenly turned, looking at the Witch of White Scales behind him, who had ceased struggling and fallen into a state of complete stupor. He said, deeply moved: "I wish I could break one of you into several pieces to use. Those who should have died need not be revived again, inviting disaster. Suiyin is like this, and so are you. And in this struggle for the Dao, you have no retreat! So, the question is, Baizhou, or perhaps White Scale... among so many dead ends, which one do you wish to choose?"

A madman! This is a madman! Where was the unfathomable Dao Qiongcang, the Dao Hall Master who cared for the Five Regions? This guy was a complete and utter lunatic, fully revealing his true monstrous self, fangs bared, within his own memories, after tearing off his disguise!

"Dao Qiongcang, I'll kill you!"

The Witch of White Scales' soul blood ignited. Just as its power was about to erupt, the entire world instantly fell silent. It was frozen in memory, fixed in that instant, eternally raging.

As for Dao Qiongcang... He calmly watched the serpent spirit, which was now of equal height, put on his elegant outer garment, and then faded from this memory fragment.

"You cannot kill me. Just as it is now, I can give you choices, but you, from beginning to end... have no choice."