War was declared!
On Guizhe Holy Mountain, Half-Saints, and in front of the Five Domains' Propagation Mirror, Spirit Cultivators—one after another, their eyes gleamed, and their expressions were deeply moved.
After avoiding it for so long, and taking so many detours, Lord Shou had finally decided to confront them directly.
He was the one who had proactively sought battle; how rare was that?
It was easy to say "fight," but before the outcome was decided, no matter how much talk there was about ideals and significance, it wouldn't be very useful.
No matter how magnificent the castles in the air, if the outcome was defeat, everything would turn to dust.
Therefore, "fighting" also depended on the opponent and required weighing the consequences.
"He was Ai Cangsen, after all!"
No one believed Lord Shou should engage in a direct battle with Emperor Cangsen.
Just as before, Lord Shou had certainly mocked Ai Cangsen, calling him "Love Hound," but he had repeatedly avoided arrows and battles, only daring to target the Half-Saints beneath Ai Cangsen. Yet, the Five Domains had watched with great interest, and no one had found anything amiss.
Was it shameful?
In fact, no one had even considered the question of shame.
Even the various Saints on Guizhe Holy Mountain, as his adversaries, felt that Xu Xiaoshou's evasion of battle was entirely justifiable.
While the boy was annoying, his choices, from the beginning of his rise until this declaration of war, had been flawless.
A mere youngster in his early twenties, even if he was powerful enough to playfully eliminate Half-Saints, compared to Emperor Cangsen… instinctively, everyone felt there was simply no comparison.
It was still a world of difference.
"Is Lord Shou joking again? Is he planning to wait for Emperor Cangsen to arrive in the Southern Domain, then pick up his master himself, and immediately escape using spatial profoundness?"
"A deceptive tactic? Hmm, not impossible... In fact, it might be the best choice."
"The 'Love Hound' might be a 'Love Hound,' but he's not on the same level as the other Ten Venerables; he's a 'perfect-grade' 'combat type'!"
"Ba Zun'an has a crippled finger, Gou Wuyue a severed arm, Hall Master Dao isn't skilled in combat, Kui Leihan has his martial arts forbidden, Shen Yi... sigh, ancient martial arts are too powerful, yet too restricted in the current Spirit Cultivation era of the Saint Spirit Continent. If it were in the God-Slayer Official Ruins..."
"Everyone, how strong Emperor Cangsen is can be seen from the fact that he suppressed Shen Yi in the City of Dead Pagodas for over two decades. 'Half Ai Cangsen, Half Guanghan' is the central theme of the Ten Venerables' ballad!"
"But Ai Cangsen also uses a wheelchair, don't the Ten Venerables all have limitations? He's also considered disabled, isn't he?"
"Disabled? Ha!"
"Oh? Brother, you even know the inside story of Kui Leihan's martial arts ban. Do you also know if there's any mystery to Ai Cangsen's wheelchair?"
"I don't know the mystery, but I only know this: Before the Ten Venerables, Ai Cangsen stood. After the Ten Venerables, Ai Cangsen sat. Yet, after the Ten Venerables, Emperor Cangsen never truly made a move even once, so who made him sit down?"
"This? Did he want to sit?"
"If no one could make him sit, then the only possibility left is that he wanted to sit."
"Have you also considered that contemporary geniuses either declined or rose, some even became Saint Emperors? Even Hall Master Dao, though not skilled in combat, spread his influence across the Five Domains, and now even his retirement is so composed."
"But once Emperor Cangsen sat down, he stagnated... No, he didn't even stagnate, his cultivation halted in place, neither progressing nor regressing."
"Did it truly stagnate?"
"During the God-Love War, arrows rained down like a waterfall, Shen Yi couldn't close in... At that time, I observed from afar, and Emperor Cangsen's legs didn't seem to be covered by that black cloth!"
Black cloth?
These words startled many.
There were many curious onlookers in front of the Five Domains' Propagation Mirror, and many who liked to scrutinize details, but truly few had noticed the issue of the "black cloth."
Now that Lord Shou had revealed most of the matters regarding "guidance" and "forgetfulness" concerning Saint Emperors and demonic beasts, someone finally noticed the black cloth.
Recalling, ever since the era of Ai Cangsen, one of the Three Emperors, his public image, including his portraits, had always featured the trifecta of a wheelchair, a bow and arrow, and a black cloth.
But while the first two items were always mentioned, this black cloth seemed to have never garnered any attention.
Was it simply used to cover his legs?
"Speaking of, during the Ten Venerables era, did Emperor Cangsen have this black cloth on his legs?"
"No, I don't think so. I actually fought him head-on back then. Just three thousand li away, I caught the residual shockwave of an Evil Sin Bow arrow and only suffered heavy injury. He could still stand and walk then..."
"Perhaps Holy Firmament Hall was too cold, and after Emperor Cangsen started using a wheelchair, he didn't move much and developed chronic leg pain?"
"Something's not right! There's a problem!"
"During the Ten Venerables era, Ai Cangsen only had the Evil Sin Bow. After the Ten Venerables, a wheelchair and black cloth were added between Ai Cangsen and his bow... Either the wheelchair is problematic, or the black cloth is!"
"Overthinking is futile; we still need to see Emperor Cangsen's choice. After all, Lord Shou's destructive power is exceptionally terrifying when he grows large. Emperor Cangsen might not necessarily fight him in the Five Domains."
Indeed!
Imagining the Extreme Giant crushing a mountain range with one stomp and traversing realms in a few strides.
And Emperor Cangsen's Wing-Shattering Arrows shifted in countless ways, capable of instantly shattering half a Holy Mountain.
These two actually fighting did not seem desirable.
Wherever they fought, the people there would get headaches... err, their entire bodies would ache?
"Will he accept the challenge?"
The people in front of the Five Domains' Propagation Mirror watched Emperor Cangsen in his wheelchair, and the people in the Guizhe Holy Mountain square also looked on expectantly.
Whether from the dejected faction or the confident faction.
Everyone had grown weary of being toyed with by Lord Shou. After all, directly insulting the Holy Mountain only diminished the dignity of the Holy Mountain Saints.
If a final battle could unfold, thoroughly striking at the Saint Slaves, perhaps the Five Domains could enjoy another thirty years of peace?
Under the watchful eyes of countless onlookers, Ai Cangsen remained unperturbed.
After an unknown period, everyone saw the Evil Sin Bowstring on Emperor Cangsen's leg lightly vibrate. He then spoke, uttering a single word.
"Permitted."
"Good!"
Qin Duan clenched his fist, forcefully swung it against his chest, feeling his qi surge through his limbs and bones.
He felt great! As refreshed as a surging sea of qi!
That "Shou-hound" had barked incessantly, shouting on the Holy Mountain for half a day, then in the Southern Domain for half a day, and finally even remotely manipulated Beibei to insult Half-Saints.
Now, finally, someone was in a position to put him in his place.
Qin Duan turned, unable to suppress the joy in his heart, and sneered at the Propagation Mirror in Feng Zhongzui's hand. He used every ounce of his being to mock across the distance:
"A callow youth, a greenhorn oblivious to seniority and hierarchy, unaware of the vastness of heaven and earth, barely literate, yet daring to wag his tongue, spewing filth, utterly shameless."
"A frog in a well, how can you comprehend the boundless sky, the ethereal clouds? Today you dare challenge Emperor Cangsen; tomorrow, will you revert to your treacherous nature, fleeing in disarray after leading people through the Dead Sea?"
The people of the Five Domains were startled by Qin Duan's sudden outburst.
Bold! Too bold!
Feng Zhongzui, who was holding the mirror and feeling the direct impact, felt his pupils tremble.
This, this... This Half-Saint, was he perhaps a bit too fierce?
Since Lord Shou's rise, he had always been the one with the sharp tongue, verbally condemning others. Was it his turn to be condemned today?
Crucially, whether the scolding was effective wasn't the point; who was he, to dare spout such venom at Lord Shou?
Had he been too insulted earlier, had the spring been coiled too tightly, finally snapping now?
"Refreshing!"
Qin Duan's scolding was so satisfying, he felt thirty years younger.
Upon seeing the shocked, as-if-seeing-a-ghost expressions of the dejected faction, he felt even more elated.
A bunch of useless people!
It was bad enough that they hung their heads, unable to face anyone, but they didn't even dare to utter a few words!
Ai Cangsen had already accepted the challenge, yet they still cowered... Xu Xiaoshou was right, Saint Slaves, Saint Slaves – that's what those incompetent Half-Saints like you are!
Qin Duan coldly scanned the dejected faction.
After mocking Xu Xiaoshou, that brat who dared to challenge the Holy Mountain from afar.
He then took out a black-red scroll from his spatial ring, provoked again, and declared loudly:
"Lord Shou, is that right?"
"As a true man, if you dare call yourself 'Lord,' your word is heavier than the Holy Mountain itself."
"Do you dare sign a Half-Saint Contract with this Saint—that if Emperor Cangsen accepts your invitation, you will not avoid battle later, but must confront him directly?"
Qin Duan held up the Half-Saint scroll, and with a smirk, he cast a sidelong glance at the Propagation Mirror in Feng Zhongzui's hand:
"Little bug, Xu Xiaochong, tell me, do you dare or not?"
Little bug...
Half-Saint Contract...
Zhong Yuanzi, with his explosive hair, standing by the steps, heard such shocking words and felt his entire head was going to explode.
How dare he? How could he dare!
Xu Xiaoshou would never manipulate others to scold himself, which meant... Qin Duan truly dared!
The Northern Domain truly produced brutes!
Zhong Yuanzi knew Xu Xiaoshou was not to be trifled with. He subconsciously stepped back half a step, but then unexpectedly saw Fang Wenxin step forward.
He seemed to be going to advise Qin Duan about something?
"Come back!"
Zhong Yuanzi cried out in a low voice, grabbed Old Fang's sleeve, and quickly pulled him back.
The square fell silent.
Qin Duan was still enjoying the awe-filled gazes, relishing his moment in the spotlight.
He held his hand high, displaying the Half-Saint Decree.
For a long while, nothing happened in the surroundings.
"Is it really fine? Has Xu Xiaoshou been cursed stupidly...?" Zhong Yuanzi opened his mouth, pulled Old Fang back another step, his heartbeat suddenly accelerating.
"I thought Lord Shou was already powerful enough; who's this fierce general?"
"Qin Duan? Good heavens, he completely unleashed the pent-up anger from being speechless against Beibei onto Lord Shou?"
"Is he really bullying the weak? Lord Shou is truly weak!"
"Damn, just listening to this makes us 'Shou-scholars' furious! Given Lord Shou's fiery temper, could he possibly endure this?"
"Look, Lord Shou is speechless from the scolding, hahaha, this must be the first time in your life you've been so insulted, Xu Xiaochong..."
Someone pointed to the Propagation Mirror on the Southern Domain side.
And indeed, after Qin Duan's scolding, Xu Xiaoshou froze in place.
Clearly, although his Propagation Mirror couldn't display the Holy Mountain, being able to remotely manipulate Beibei meant he certainly had a backup on the Holy Mountain to hear "Qin Duan's scolding."
Those ennobled as Half-Saints were never mere figures of empty reputation...
It took Xu Xiaoshou a long time to recover, and he gained a profound understanding that saints could not be insulted.
Indeed, they couldn't be insulted; cornered dogs would leap over walls.
He continually shook his head, mumbling softly.
"Qin Duan..."
"You, too, like fame...?"
The people in front of the Propagation Mirror looked at him, and for no reason felt this soft call was so sweet, as if Lord Shou had found a kindred spirit.
In the next instant, the black-clad youth's eyes changed, covered in frost:
"Very good!"
"Half-Saint Qin Duan, you will, as you wish, go down in history!"
"Watch out!"
By the wheelchair, Xi gasped.
Although he had never formally and directly engaged Xu Xiaoshou in battle.
Working under Hall Master Dao, he had investigated this individual countless times.
The moment his heart skipped a beat, Xi sensed impending disaster!
"Aow—"
As expected, the battle, surprisingly, began with Qin Duan, igniting instantly.
After the sky changed, a golden dragon rent the void, vaguely forming the shape of a sky-shattering halberd, falling straight from the heavens.
"Lord Shou made a move!"
In front of the Propagation Mirror, everyone stood up excitedly.
Everyone clearly saw that Lord Shou had just flipped his hand, produced a great halberd, and sent it into space.
In the next instant, this halberd enlarged and appeared above Guizhe Holy Mountain.
Spatial profoundness, two domains in a single breath, terrifying!
Feng Zhongzui saw the great halberd breaking through space, traversing the sky. Being well-experienced, he was greatly alarmed:
"The Dragon-Drawing Halberd!"
"One of the Ten Unique Weapons, one of the twin unique halberds alongside the Sea-Controlling Divine Halberd!"
"Isn't this known as the personal weapon of the War Saint Taizai Ci, the First Half-Saint of the Northern Domain? How did it fall into Lord Shou's hands? Could it be..."
Feng Zhongzui thought deeply, the more he thought, the more terrifying it became, his scalp tingling:
"Could War Saint Taizai Ci have fallen under Lord Shou's sword, even his weapon stolen?"
"But Taizai Ci also has the elusive Shadow Saint by his side, Snake Princess, and under him, the Twelve Saint Lords of the Northern Domain!"
Indeed, Feng Zhongzui, both as a commentator and in his ability to grasp key points, was of a super-dao-level in the art of propagation.
While the Five Domains were still shocked by "Qin Duan scolding Shou," he had already found the most critical thing:
"So that's it, I understand!"
"Siam Yi Saint Lord Qin Guan, one of the Northern Domain's Twelve Saint Lords, is from the same lineage as Qin family patriarch Qin Duan."
"Previously, Half-Saint Taizai Ci, along with the Shadow Saint, Snake Princess, and the Twelve Saint Lords, entered the God-Slayer Official Ruins at the invitation of the 'Saint-Summoning Order' to slay Shou."
"Now it seems, it was a complete wipeout!"
Upon this statement, the Five Domains erupted.
Fifteen Half-Saints, in some overlooked corner, had already been slain by Lord Shou?
Feng Zhongzui couldn't stop exclaiming:
"It turns out Qin Duan didn't suddenly burst; he had suppressed anger for too long."
"It turns out from the very beginning he went to Holy Mountain, he couldn't tolerate Lord Shou; they were already like fire and water!"
The Dragon-Drawing Halberd transformed into a dragon and descended. Qin Duan was not only startled by the sudden sneak attack but also further alarmed by Feng Zhongzui's interpretation.
Qin Guan, was he killed by Xu Xiaoshou?
"Boom!!!"
In his state of startled thought, Ai Cangsen by the wheelchair had already drawn his bow and nocked an arrow.
Earlier was one thing, but now, he clearly couldn't allow Xu Xiaoshou to forcefully suppress Qin Duan under his very nose.
The bow vibrated, the string hummed.
The Evil Sin Bow arrow shot towards the Dragon-Drawing Halberd's golden dragon, exploding into Evil Sin qi waves in the void.
That magnificent power actually repelled one of the twin unique halberds, hurled from the Southern Domain, right back!
"So strong..."
Feng Zhongzui was once again moved by such a powerfully executed arrow. Before he could explain, he saw Qin Duan lose control.
The old man had barely managed to react to the Dragon-Drawing Halberd's sneak attack. Now, rescued by Emperor Cangsen, he didn't turn back to thank him. Instead, he angrily pointed at the sky:
"Brat, was my clan's Qin Guan killed by you?"
In front of the Southern Domain Propagation Mirror, Xu Xiaoshou's hands were slightly raised, his fingers subtly moving. Hearing the question, he looked confused:
"Qin Guan, who is that?"
Ignored! Utterly ignored!
Qin Duan exploded in rage, his beard askew, Saint power surging outwards:
"Impudent brat!"
As his words fell, before he could act.
From behind him, a more explosive roar came.
"You are the impudent one!"
Everyone was startled, quickly turning back.
Even Ai Cangsen hadn't anticipated this. The one scolding Qin Duan was, surprisingly, his friend...
"Qiu Gu?!"
Feng Zhongzui shrieked: "Half-Saint Qiu Gu, Golden Body and Saint Bones! Did he scold the wrong person?!"
The Five Domains crowd was stunned, unable to comprehend what was happening at first. They even thought Qiu Gu had a personal grudge against Qin Duan.
Because this fellow's rage seemed genuine. After scolding from behind, he had already closed in.
"You borrow others' prestige and bully people with influence, and you truly think you old scoundrel are someone important?"
Qiu Gu glowed gold, and with a resounding slap, he struck Qin Duan's dazed, turning head.
Old Saint Qin Duan's head instantly spun 360 degrees on the spot.
In the next moment, a ring of blood appeared around his neck, and his entire head simply detached.
"Infighting?"
Feng Zhongzui's eyes widened. Just as he was about to interpret further, he suddenly thought of something:
"No!"
"It's Hall Master Dao's Puppet String Manipulation – Lord Shou's trick, once again performed across domains on Holy Mountain!"
On the first viewing platform in Feng Family City, Southern Domain, Dao Qiongcang had been enjoying the spectacle, but upon hearing this, his face immediately darkened.
Puppet String Manipulation isn't mine!
I don't know Puppet String Manipulation; if I did, it would be called Grand Puppet Mastery, not that name, okay!
The entire Guizhe Holy Mountain was stunned by Qiu Gu's sudden critical hit.
Qin Duan was directly disconnected.
Only after his head flew up and he heard Feng Zhongzui's interpretation did he recover from the "daze" guided by the Mind Dao Disk.
It was Puppet String Manipulation!
Qiu Gu was innocent; he had been controlled by Xu Xiaoshou.
"Old Qiu, what are you doing!"
Zhong Yuanzi roared, trying to wake everyone.
Ai Cangsen on the wheelchair, who had almost drawn his bow, was the first to snap out of it. Yes, he was Old Qiu, one of their own, so it wouldn't be right to shoot him.
Qiu Gu, who had slapped Qin Duan's head off, was also stunned. He lifted his bloody palm, staring at it in disbelief:
"How could I..."
"How..."
He looked at his hand, looked at Qin Duan's headless body, watched his head fly back, attempting to reconnect.
Qiu Gu suddenly burst into laughter. As golden light erupted, he slapped again:
"Old scoundrel, how dare you insult my Shou?"
"This Saint has wanted to slap you for a long time! Do you really think Xu Xiaoshou is controlling me completely? Does he even have that capability?!"
A heavy slap landed, just as Qin Duan's face changed in horror...
Boom!!!
A surprised string sound echoed from the Holy Mountain, and smoke and dust cleared for a thousand li.
"Ah—"
Qiu Gu screamed, clutching his shoulder, severed at the root. He hadn't even seen when the Evil Sin Bow arrow shattered his arm.
"No, no, no, I didn't mean to," Qiu Gu panicked, "Adult Cangsen, it's Xu Xiaoshou, it's him..."
"Qiu Gu! Old scoundrel Qiu, you are absolutely settling personal grudges!" Qin Duan was on the verge of collapse.
"Stop arguing, this is what Xu Xiaoshou wants!" Beibei heard and was irritated. "All of you, stop arguing!"
"Qin Duan, it's all because you insulted my Shou... Ah!!!"
So chaotic, too chaotic. Finally, an unknown voice shrieked loudly, piercing the clouds.
The scream came from his side. Ai Cangsen was startled by it and turned to glance, seeing Xi squatting on the ground, covering his ears, sweating all over.
His consciousness was even firmer than Qin Duan's or Qiu Gu's. After losing control, white evil karmic flames erupted from him, instantly breaking free from the Puppet String Manipulation.
At the same time, behind him, a ferocious White Evil Yama Lord materialized.
Half-Saint level!
That evil ghost shielded Xi with one hand, glaring fiercely at everyone, preventing Xi from being controlled again.
"Everyone shut up."
Xi's eyes were bloodshot, and he roared deeply.
Everyone was startled by this little guy. The Holy Mountain square suddenly fell silent as cicadas in winter.
But the momentary quiet instead highlighted the chaos behind it.
"Slap!"
A clear slapping sound was heard.
When everyone turned to look, they saw Qin Duan's spiritual and soul artifacts shattered all over. He was pierced from his back clean through to his chest by the Dragon-Drawing Halberd, bleeding profusely.
More terrifyingly, his reconnected head, after the slap, didn't fly off, but turned completely black.
All Half-Saints, they could tell at a glance.
This was definitely a soul attack—Qin Duan's soul body had its head obliterated by a single palm!
"Who did it?"
Qiu Gu's right arm had already been shattered by Emperor Cangsen.
Whose doing was this, picking up the Dragon-Drawing Halberd to shatter all defensive spiritual artifacts, then slapping away Qin Duan's soul head?
"Thud!"
Qin Duan's knees hit the ground, and he lost all vitality.
From behind his massive body, a pale and terrifying face emerged, and the entire square was dead silent.
Feng Zhongzui covered his mouth, his eyes full of disbelief:
"The Nine, Nine Sacrifices Divine Emissary?"
Even Ai Cangsen was stunned, his eyebrows raised high, but he could only silently gaze at the beautiful spirit woman in a pale yellow palace gown.
The usually noble and dignified Nine Sacrifices Divine Emissary, her face now pale, stared in shock at the hand she had just used to slap someone, and at the blood flowing from the Dragon-Drawing Halberd.
She tried to hide her hand, tucking it behind her slender waist, as if not wanting to be seen. When she looked up at everyone, she retreated with hesitant, lotus-like steps, so panicked that she waved her hands repeatedly at everyone:
"This empress, this empress, generally does not perform such unseemly acts..."
[9 minutes ago] Chapter 350: Engaging in Combat
[13 minutes ago] Chapter 331: Rebellion
6973 · 0 · 17
