Chapter 1693: Pupil Control Double Holy Arrows Delayed, Great Night Sleeping Together as the Beast Feasts

"It's him again, Heavenly Human's Five Decays!" Dao Qiongcang, still focused on the battle at Gui Zhe Holy Mountain from the first viewing platform in Fengjia City, saw the uninvited guest turn his head. A rare flicker of emotion crossed his eyes.

Frankly, Dao Qiongcang was very wary of this person.

This "wariness" wasn't fear or terror.

Considering his background, combat prowess, strategy, resources, and every other aspect, Dao Qiongcang should not have regarded Heavenly Human's Five Decays as an opponent of equal standing.

Yet, it was precisely this individual – someone inferior to him in every way, even compared to Dao Qiongcang himself thirty years ago – whose abilities made people deeply uncomfortable.

Having served as Hall Master for so many years, Dao Qiongcang had rarely experienced setbacks.

Void Island was one such instance; Ba Zun'an had gained the upper hand. However, that situation could be described as a mutual exchange of needs. It was meant to be a losing battle, yet he still managed to secure many benefits he desired.

The Divine Remains and Xu Xiaoshou afterwards also counted as a setback. However, through various encounters, Dao Qiongcang successfully shifted from being Xu Xiaoshou's adversary to standing by his side.

In fact, after every setback, Dao Qiongcang managed to "exchange equally" for tangible advantages and hidden benefits, either from the person involved or elsewhere.

Except for Heavenly Human's Five Decays...

Ever since that night on Qingyuan Mountain when he accepted Heavenly Human's Five Decays' bow, Dao Qiongcang hadn't known whether the curse on him was truly resolved.

Objectively speaking, after using the Golden Cicada Shedding its Shell technique, the semi-saint avatar that had received Heavenly Human's Five Decays' bow had died.

His curse, therefore, should no longer affect him.

Subjectively, however, it was entirely different!

"I am no longer clean."

Thinking this way, ever since that bow, Dao Qiongcang would overthink whenever things went wrong.

Were there still lingering remnants of the curse on him? Was he still under the guidance of death? If he hadn't accepted that bow and consequently damaged his luck, would he have gained more?

The imprint of the Great Divine Descent Technique was indeed branded on the other party, but it was difficult to descend upon him. After all, proximity was already considered contamination, and combining with him would likely leave a stench no matter how much he tried to cleanse himself.

Moreover, the "equivalent exchange" principle failed for the first time with this individual. Dao Qiongcang had planned to use Mo Mo's soul fragments to exact a great revenge on Heavenly Human's Five Decays, but Xu Xiaoshou detected it mid-way!

"Was it because Xu Xiaoshou was too clever?"

"If I hadn't accepted that bow at the time, would my own luck have been strong enough for the Way of Memory to suppress Xu Xiaoshou's Way of Intent, preventing him from remembering at all?"

"Without that bow, perhaps things wouldn't have been so troublesome. After the Divine Remains, would I have already obtained both Mo Mo and Feng Yujin?"

"Without that bow, at least I could have legitimately abdicated and hidden more cunningly, instead of abruptly handing the Holy Mountain over to Dao Xuanji, only to find myself unable to hide now, forcibly pulled back into the open by Xu Xiaoshou?"

When Dao Qiongcang saw Heavenly Human's Five Decays again, the scattered thoughts that occupied his leisure time quickly coalesced.

He deeply regretted it.

He regretted that when he was using the incense line to fish for big fish, even though the big fish had already bitten the bait, he traced it, only to let the big fish self-destruct.

"Was it because Heavenly Human's Five Decays was too decisive?"

"If I hadn't traced the battlefield traces on Void Island and hadn't been contaminated by the initial ill omen, would I have been so thoughtless about even 'decisive' matters, leading to the big fish escaping?"

"Was it precisely because of that escape, and my being too close to him, that the ill omen intensified, leading to the unavoidable acceptance of his bow later, and subsequently a vicious cycle, escalating step by step, evolving into the current situation?"

A thousand-mile dike can be destroyed by an ant's nest.

Ordinary people might not indulge in such wild speculations, but the Heavenly Secret Brain wouldn't overlook any detail.

Dao Qiongcang had originally thought there was a 60% chance he was overthinking things.

How could a mere Heavenly Human's Five Decays, simply by passing close by, so easily destroy his grand vision of heavenly secrets?

However, when he saw in the Dao Transmission Mirror that after Heavenly Human's Five Decays passed, the area from the mid-slope of Gui Zhe Holy Mountain downwards was entirely covered in desolation, he no longer thought so.

"As for the Devouring Body and Undying Body, they remain unknown."

"But the Decaying Body is under perfect control, clearly a complete mastery."

Otherwise, it would be impossible to explain how Lu Ke and Feng Zhongzui were completely unharmed.

Dao Qiongcang even deduced that the Decaying Body had only fully matured recently.

Those who had long been in contact with Heavenly Human's Five Decays in the past might have suffered an unexpected fate due to a malicious explosion when his ultimate body fully matured.

Dao Qiongcang looked up at the sky, his gaze deep. His judgment was not without precedent.

"Huang Quan, it seems he hasn't returned yet..."

The Yama Chief was a mysterious individual who had long acted for the Teardrop Family's pupils, with unwavering goals, never wasting his efforts.

However, anyone who carefully recalled Huang Quan's journey to the Divine Remains could easily conclude that he "gained nothing."

He allied with Yue Gongli, and his ally was shattered...

He entered the Ancient and Modern Forget-Worry Tower, and got trapped there...

He seemed to hit dead ends everywhere, gaining nothing, as if he'd just gone to the Divine Remains to pass the time before going home.

Yet, now that the Divine Remains belonged to Xu, not a trace of Huang Quan was seen "at home."

At least, Dao Qiongcang couldn't find the imprint he had left on Huang Quan on the Holy Divine Continent, which proved the individual was "not in the Five Domains."

"Both possess space-time attributes. What is the relationship between Huang Quan and Kong Yuhan?"

"Did he truly become enlightened and seek nothing, or was he affected by some 'curse' that made his luck bad, ultimately leading to..."

Dao Qiongcang took a step back in his thoughts.

For Huang Quan, the Divine Remains were like an open net.

Huang Quan, as if blindfolded, took a great leap without hesitation and plunged right into the net.

This only deepened the "wariness" regarding the peculiar existence of Heavenly Human's Five Decays. Dao Qiongcang pondered seriously and finally reached a conclusion:

Heavenly Human's Five Decays' apparent abilities were less than one ten-thousandth of those of the Nine Venerable Seats.

However, after "years of accumulation" and the fermentation of "hidden damage," those infected by the ill omen, if lacking introspection tools like the "Heavenly Secret Brain," likely wouldn't even consider Heavenly Human's Five Decays to be related to their fate by half a spirit crystal before their death.

Dao Qiongcang shivered at the thought.

This kind of hidden, undefended, and only-known-before-death, eerie ability, he had only ever encountered in Xu Xiaoshou until now.

Everyone knew how strong Master Shou was.

They knew his strength lay in his physique, spiritual refinement, ancient sword arts, and various other aspects.

Yet, no one had seriously considered that Xu Xiaoshou's passive abilities – his vital energy regeneration, spiritual energy regeneration, and mental energy regeneration – were the fundamental source of his "strength"!

Even mighty figures like the Eight Gods of Cao would tire.

Xu Xiaoshou wouldn't tire.

Dao Qiongcang dared to assert that if any of the Ten Venerable Seats were singled out, even if they mastered all of Xu Xiaoshou's offensive techniques, none could fully utilize them due to the unsustainable consumption.

"Xu Xiaoshou has mastered the essence of life; his vital energy is ceaseless, so his strong sustained combat ability is understandable."

"What about Heavenly Human's Five Decays?"

Dao Qiongcang didn't believe someone could have zero input and boundless output.

Either Heavenly Human's Five Decays secretly devoured countless rare treasures with his devouring power.

Or, every time he exerted significant influence on others, he consumed himself.

"Time will give me the answer."

In reality, the crazed mental state Heavenly Human's Five Decays displayed in the Dao Transmission Mirror had already given Dao Qiongcang the answer.

His only uncertainty was whether it was faked.

At this point in his thoughts, Dao Qiongcang had decided to temporarily cease all actions against Heavenly Human's Five Decays, prioritizing maintaining distance in the future.

He wasn't entirely sure if a fully matured Decaying Body could cause "significant influence" on the Ten Venerable Seats in a short period.

"'Significance' still needs time to judge, but 'influence' is already certain..."

The Dao Transmission Mirror was no longer filming the peak of the Holy Mountain.

Dao Qiongcang's gaze, however, seemed to stretch from the Southern Domain to the Human Emperor Cang Sheng in his wheelchair in the Central Domain, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Little friend Ai Cangsheng, you haven't shot down Heavenly Human's Five Decays yet. Is it because your Eye of the Great Dao is blind?

Or is it because your judgment is flawed?

"Who is that?!"

At the peak of the Holy Mountain, when Heavenly Human's Five Decays seized Vulture Qin's attacking claw, the Saints sensed an anomaly.

As Ai Cangsheng looked down from afar, he realized that his attention had been entirely on Qin Duan's state high in the sky, completely forgetting the blood calamity unfolding at the foot of the mountain.

Power of decay, guidance of disaster...

Yama mask, orange robes...

"Heavenly Human's Five Decays?"

Such an existence flashed through Ai Cangsheng's mind.

In reality, this individual was not among his key surveillance targets; even the Yama Chief, Huang Quan, was only observed occasionally.

Yama posed little threat to the stability of the continent.

According to Dao Qiongcang a few years ago, they were merely a small group of individuals with an obsession for collecting eyes.

Ai Cangsheng thought so too.

He also possessed the Teardrop Family's pupils, and he had never seen any trace of Yama near Gui Zhe Holy Mountain.

It seemed that the organization members' obsession for collecting eyes included all Teardrop Family's pupils, just not the Eye of the Great Dao.

— Simply bullying the weak and fearing the strong.

Ai Cangsheng later noticed Heavenly Human's Five Decays because Dao Qiongcang's mindset had changed after the battle of Void Island.

From time to time, Dao Qiongcang would whimsically mention the title "Heavenly Human's Five Decays," more frequently than "Huang Quan," the Yama Chief.

When asked, he wouldn't say, merely acting profound and enigmatic. Over time, Ai Cangsheng stopped asking.

Piecing together the image of Heavenly Human's Five Decays based on Dao Qiongcang's own revelations, he was merely:

"An immature ultimate body? Or a forcibly sealed Saint? He achieved semi-saint status on Void Island, but it was stolen by Yu Mo?"

Logically, such a "substandard semi-saint" whose combat record didn't even reach "average" should have been more than enough for Qin Duan to handle.

Ai Cangsheng's suddenly accelerating heartbeat told him something was wrong.

He closed his eyes.

He opened his eyes.

Within his eyes, the Great Dao shimmered, and the Holy Mountain below him was enveloped in a layer of crimson blood light!

"Calamity..."

Looking back at the plaza.

The Saints stood there, watching the battle, even temporarily abandoning their trip to the Dead Sea.

Each of them appeared calm, some even joking, not believing that any random semi-saint coming to the Holy Mountain could pose a threat like Xu Xiaoshou.

"Qin Duan is being held?"

"Is this tangerine-man a body refiner? But all the body-refining semi-saints in the Northern Domain have joined the Heavenly Alliance, haven't they? This old man doesn't recognize this person."

"Is he from your Central Domain? He looks a bit like the Hexagram Saint's Old Red Thread, but isn't Old Red Thread red?"

"Full of evil aura, he must be from the Southern Domain!"

"What's wrong with Southern Domain semi-saints? Qiu Gu, do you even know how to speak? Does our Southern Domain only have evil arts? Believe it or not, I'll use a straw doll curse and curse you to death tonight?"

"Uh, sorry, I spoke out of turn... Look, look, it seems like a fight is about to break out over there!"

In reality, this reaction was indeed accurate.

Was he being overly suspicious?

Ai Cangsheng always felt that after becoming Hall Master, he had become as paranoid as Dao Qiongcang.

But Dao Qiongcang had one good habit: no matter what, always keep a backup plan.

He beckoned with a finger.

Xi quickly stepped forward. Ai Cangsheng instructed:

"Detailed information on Heavenly Human's Five Decays, specifically after the Void Island incident. Preferably with Dao Qiongcang's assessment."

Xi nodded silently and withdrew, summoning a ghost spirit to collect the information.

Such a small matter naturally didn't require his personal involvement, but hearing those words always left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Whenever this happened, Xi would lament how things had changed.

If Hall Master Dao were still here, he would also instruct me to gather information, but his true purpose wouldn't be merely to collect data, but to test me...

Before I finished collecting the information, he would undoubtedly have already distributed a "Heavenly Human's Five Decays Briefing" to all the Saints on the Holy Mountain. Whatever I submitted would only be used by him for comparison and mockery...

How he missed it!

It was mockery, not praise.

It was a test, not a task.

Xi suddenly understood: if one reached a point in a position where they were always praised instead of criticized, it meant there was nothing left to learn.

For the first time, he began to consider whether to relinquish his duties and follow Hall Master Dao's suggestion from back when they were searching for the Red Robe Bandit: to try his luck before the Seven Sword Immortals were officially ranked.

Xi shifted his weight, his peripheral vision secretly glancing at Bei Bei, who was close by.

"Human Emperor Cang Sheng, why has Qin Duan suddenly gone quiet? Does he need assistance?" Qiu Gu suddenly spoke from nearby.

Ai Cangsheng didn't hesitate for a moment, waving a hand.

"Let's see, or you go."

Qiu Gu recoiled, finding himself unwelcome. He only wanted to see the Evil Sin Bow's arrow unleashed; he didn't want to needlessly stir up trouble.

Support Qin Duan?

He didn't even know why Qin Duan suddenly went crazy.

What if I went to support him and he turned around and bit me? I've slapped him before, after all!

"This... what kind of power is this?"

Qin Duan felt like he had endured an entire century.

He didn't understand why his claw, which hadn't released any force, was seized by such a seemingly frail individual.

What level of physical body was required to take a blow infused with holy power without injury?

He felt like his shoulder was about to shatter!

The intense pain momentarily restored Qin Duan's sanity.

He couldn't understand why he had stooped so low as to rage at a junior, nor why he had continued to challenge Master Shou when he could have simply retreated unharmed...

Was he seeking death?

It no longer mattered.

The past was irrelevant; what mattered most now was...

Qin Duan's pupils trembled slightly. He tried to pull his hand back but found that while no trace of holy power was visible on the opponent, his own arm was held in an iron grip.

He attempted to use holy power to push back or send the opponent flying. After his holy power surged out of his saintly body, it flowed like water into the opponent's body, using their palms' contact point as the base.

Not a single drop leaked out!

It looked as if they were frozen on the mountain path, not uttering a word, like good friends shaking hands upon meeting!

"My holy power, it was devoured?"

Qin Duan's heart, however, was churning with turmoil. He completely failed to understand what kind of cultivation technique could instantly transform external holy power into one's own.

Was he not afraid of a chaotic qi sea?

Was he not afraid of exploding and dying?

And how was this person emitting such an "eerie" aura all over his body? Would a normal person respond to others by having their head drop to the back?

"Who are you?!"

Qin Duan roared loudly.

This roar seemed to successfully awaken the opponent.

The orange-robed figure's head, which had dropped to his back, snapped back into place, now inches away!

"Thump..."

In that instant, Qin Duan's heart stopped, and the world seemed to slow down.

In his mind, he saw himself at six, refining spirits and bathed in holy light; himself at eighteen, falling off a cliff and accidentally swallowing a divine position; himself clearing tribal enemies and dominating Siam Yi; himself with a house full of descendants, each generation more talented...

So many! So many!

Overlapping images flashed through his mind, rushing to appear as if afraid they would be lost forever if they were too slow.

Finally, all the fragmented images flowed into a constantly swirling vortex, and Qin Duan could no longer see himself clearly.

In his vision, only gray remained.

In his mind, only a hoarse voice echoed:

"Look straight at me."

Qin Duan instinctively looked.

He was entranced.

"Your... eyes..."

He mumbled blankly, unsure how to describe the extremely strange right eye hidden beneath the mask's shadow.

Soon, even that sliver of clarity was shattered by the gray vortex.

"What is this!"

The Dao Transmission Mirror remained focused on the battlefield.

Feng Zhongzui could only see the orange-robed senior's back and didn't clearly see what he did.

However, Qin Duan, facing the Dao Transmission Mirror on the battlefield, revealed half of his face!

At this moment, the Dao Transmission Mirror clearly captured Qin Duan's left eye from the side, the one aimed at the orange-robed senior's mask.

In his left eye, three flowers revolved, converging to a point, then rapidly flowed into his pupil.

In an instant, Qin Duan's consciousness seemed to be entirely devoured.

"What kind of evil art is this?"

"Qin Duan seems to be controlled. He looks like... like his soul has been extracted..."

When it came to ancient sword arts, Feng Zhongzui spoke with expertise.

But regarding Southern Domain evil arts, although he was also from the Southern Domain, he didn't know much.

Moreover, this evil art affected the eyes and seemingly the spirit, which should be even rarer. He could only tentatively conclude that it was some form of "mind control."

"Rip!"

A gory scene unfolded.

The orange-robed senior abruptly tugged, and Qin Duan's arm, which he couldn't withdraw, was directly torn off.

Blood gushed out!

This sight stunned Feng Zhongzui. More violent than Master Shou?

Those before the Five Domains Dao Transmission Mirror also hadn't expected the newcomer to be a physically ascended saint, so terrifying.

Even the Saints on Gui Zhe Holy Mountain, whose low murmurs had been somewhat intrigued, suddenly fell silent.

"Stop!"

Qiu Gu suddenly exclaimed, feeling his limbs turn cold.

Qin Duan couldn't defeat him?

The newcomer was that powerful?

No matter what, they were all semi-saints who had come to the Holy Mountain for achievements; at critical moments, they should advance and retreat together, sharing life and death...

"This Saint commands you to stop!"

Seeing that the tangerine-man showed no intention of acknowledging him, Qiu Gu became enraged, his entire body erupting with golden light.

Without even asking Human Emperor Cang Sheng for his opinion, he directly flew towards the mountain's mid-slope.

"Step back."

When Feng Zhongzui heard that soft murmur...

He immediately drew his spiritual sword, performed a somewhat unstable space-time leap, and flew a full thousand miles away from the battlefield.

From afar, he stood high in the sky, still shaken, holding the mirror:

"I feel like something big is about to happen. The orange-robed senior told me to step back. Is the Holy Mountain going to explode..."

He hadn't finished speaking.

But then, the orange-robed senior, who had just torn off Qin Duan's arm, extended a claw and plunged it directly through Qin Duan's chest, as if crushing his heart.

"Ugh!"

At this moment, Qin Duan, as if still unconscious, only emitted a few muffled groans.

"How dare you?!"

Qiu Gu roared as he arrived, raising his hands. His golden body and saintly bones manifested, and he was about to summon a golden dragon.

The orange-robed senior tilted his head.

"Buzz!"

A current of air seemed to surge through the void.

In the next breath, with a bang, a wave of holy power backlash exploded around Qiu Gu, his entire body cracking from the inside out.

"Eyes!"

"Still the eyes!"

Feng Zhongzui screamed in terror.

Just like Qin Duan, after merely being looked at by the orange-robed senior, a gray flower print emerged from Qiu Gu's left eye. Three flowers revolved, flowing into his pupil.

Instantly, his consciousness was also controlled!

The explosion didn't originate from the orange-robed senior; it was solely due to Qiu Gu's spiritual technique being interrupted, causing his holy power to surge and backfire, exploding within his own body!

"What kind of spell is this?"

Feng Zhongzui held his head with one hand, screaming in shock.

A spell that required no hand seals, could instantly affect a semi-saint, and maintain control for such a long time...

Did such an evil art truly exist in this world?

It seemed the orange-robed senior wasn't expending any energy at all!

"Heavenly Human's Five Decays?!"

On the plaza, the explosion-haired Zhong Yuanzi shivered upon hearing the name Xi uttered after recalling his ghost spirit.

Was there a problem?

Before the tangerine-man, Heavenly Human's Five Decays, made his move, everyone would have asked this question.

But at this moment, it seemed there was no need to ask at all.

"Ai Cangsheng, support me!"

Zhong Yuanzi seemed to know something. Without waiting for Xi to finish giving the full report, he spread his Spatial Great Dao Map beneath his feet and was about to rush out.

"But the orange-robed senior... no, Heavenly Human's Five Decays is faster!" Feng Zhongzui's face was filled with disbelief.

In the scene shown by the Dao Transmission Mirror, a voice calling out "Heavenly Human's Five Decays" simply echoed across the plaza, and Heavenly Human's Five Decays immediately turned his head.

He withdrew his right hand from the bloody chest, placing it against his lower Dantian.

His left hand, dragging its back, lifted the two-finger seal of his right hand. As it reached his chest, the Great Dao principles surged around him.

"Bound to the Underworld."

Feng Zhongzui only heard this voice from afar.

At the peak of the Holy Mountain, before the explosion-haired Zhong Yuanzi could even make a move, his entire body suddenly stiffened upright.

His hands were pressed tightly against the sides of his thighs, his head held high, like a rooster standing in a corner as punishment.

Even his explosion-styled hair was constrained into a long, narrow shape.

He looked entirely like a "long rooster" trapped within an invisible, long, narrow coffin!

"Ai! Cang! Sheng!"

Zhong Yuanzi struggled to speak, terror etched on his face, "Don't let him... stay on Holy Mountain..."

"Come!"

Heavenly Human's Five Decays held Qin Duan's head in his right hand.

With a gesture of his left hand, after controlling Zhong Yuanzi and seizing the momentary opening, he briefly summoned Qiu Gu as well.

He held a semi-saint's head in each hand, not cruelly crushing them as everyone had expected.

Instead, he seemed to be closing the eyes of those who died with grievances.

After his hands slid down from covering their faces, he gently called out to the two puppet-like semi-saint bodies:

"Return, my avatars."

Feng Zhongzui inexplicably broke out in goosebumps. In the next instant, something even more terrifying occurred.

The two semi-saints before Heavenly Human's Five Decays astonishingly began to chant along with him simultaneously:

"Return... my... avatar..."

"Return... my... avatar..."

Boom! Boom! Boom!

From a distant place, with three distinct surges, magnificent holy power fluctuations exploded, and three beams of holy light shot forth.

Feng Zhongzui, directing the Dao Transmission Mirror towards this phenomenon, murmured in disbelief:

"What's happening?"

"So, the orange-robed... Senior Heavenly Human's Five Decays, commanded them to summon their respective semi-saint avatars?"

"And they just... summoned them?"

Feng Zhongzui paused, seemingly not understanding:

"But why?"

"What's the purpose of summoning semi-saint avatars? Aren't Elders Qin and Qiu already stronger?"

"Is the orange-robed senior going to fight against... one, two, three... five? One against five?"

"Ah!"

Feng Zhongzui suddenly thought of something. After a shriek, his expression turned terrified: "No, I was just joking! Is he really going to 'uproot' them?"

Bang!!!

As the three beams of holy light swept in from afar, a furious bowstring sound simultaneously echoed from the peak of the Holy Mountain.

The bow trembled, the string twanged.

Just when everyone thought Heavenly Human's Five Decays would abandon the two Saints and try his best to counter the Evil Sin Bow's arrow...

He held onto the two Saints, not letting go, as his body suddenly expanded to a thousand zhang in height.

This arrow from the Evil Sin Bow was not a broken-wing arrow; it blasted through Heavenly Human's Five Decays' enlarged chest with a roar.

However, the remaining power only shattered half of his body, failing to completely obliterate him.

Heavenly Human's Five Decays shrank back, returning to his physical form.

"He..."

"He expanded..."

"And chose to take the arrow head-on?"

Feng Zhongzui was dumbfounded, utterly at a loss for words.

At this moment, Heavenly Human's Five Decays formed another hand seal. This time, he was remarkably swift. As soon as his indistinct hand seal was complete, he pulled his right hand directly from back to front, as if pulling a blanket.

"Great Night's Embrace!"

Night fell abruptly!

The world was devoid of any light, becoming pitch-black.

"Chomp, crunch..."

In the darkness, some gnawing, crunching sounds echoed, like a beast feeding.