Chapter 1694: Heavenly Fiend Lone Star's Mountain Worship Path, Uprooting the Clan Curse Technique

"Fengzhongzui, it's a black screen!"

The Transmission Mirror went black, and all the spectators from the Five Domains, who had been completely engrossed and excited, were utterly dismayed.

"Are you really from the Feng family? Can't you even transmit properly? Here was a lone master, single-handedly battling his way up Guihe Sacred Mountain, effortlessly thrashing Qin Duan and Qiu Gu, then imprisoning the Elemental Emissary, and even surviving an arrow from Emperor Ai Cangsen... At the very moment he was about to become famous throughout the world, you cut off the entire broadcast?"

"Is there something I shouldn't see?" "Where did this 'Heavenly Human Five Decays' come from? How can he be so powerful? I've never heard of such a figure in the Five Domains before!" "The King of Hell! He's one of the King of Hell's people! The King of Hell mainly operates in the Eastern Domain and has always been collecting the Tear Family Eyes!" "Those eyes... I feel like I've seen them before... During the Puxuan Clan Gathering back then, the young master of the Jiang family seemed to have displayed similar eyes. Is it a coincidence?" "Quiet down, everyone, I hear something? Who's eating?" "Ahhh! It's still black! Fengzhongzui, if you don't fix the Transmission Mirror, I'll kill you!"

The Five Domains were in chaos. Most people didn't really understand what had happened in those lightning-fast moments; they only knew that the two elders, Qin Duan and Qiu Gu, had been defeated remarkably quickly.

Since Fengzhongzui's commentary couldn't keep up with the pace of the battle, few understood the effects of the various spiritual techniques and spells used. Not to mention that the Heavenly Human Five Decays' every move involved world-rare forbidden arts. Even if some guessed that "Great Night's Embrace" was the cause of the Five Domains' collective black screen...

The Transmission Mirror had previously displayed incredible capabilities! It could even analyze the imagery of the famous "Sword of Heavenly Revelation" layer by layer, breaking down battle scenes from the perspectives of body, spirit, and intent. How could such a precious treasure, on which the Feng family relied for its existence, fail to analyze an obscure "Great Night's Embrace"?

Therefore, most people believed it was likely a problem at Fengzhongzui's location, or that the Transmission Mirror had malfunctioned. But was that truly the case?

"Dark attribute?" Xu Xiaoshou, who moments ago was still in the Southern Domain, waiting for Ai Cangsen to make a move, felt a jolt when the Transmission Mirror went black and he could no longer sense Fengzhongzui's presence. A new speculation formed in his mind.

Without a second thought, Xu Xiaoshou activated his spatial profound realm, taking a single step that transported his true body directly onto Sacred Mountain. The darkness was so thick he couldn't see his own hand in front of his face! Not only were people and paths invisible, but within this night, all elemental energies of heaven and earth had been stained black. Even the Great Dao, save for the Dark Dao, was repelled. Had he not mastered spatial profound realm, ascending Sacred Mountain at this moment would likely have been difficult.

Although the level was many steps higher, this kind of "black" couldn't help but remind Xu Xiaoshou of an old acquaintance. The Night Guardian! The Red-robed Night Guardian, Xu Xiaoshou remembered he had the dark attribute. That guy had mastered "Nightfall," which could seal off a person's six senses, causing complete disorientation, very similar to this.

Fortunately, though "Great Night's Embrace" resembled "Nightfall," their essences were completely different. Xu Xiaoshou reached out, as if touching the Great Dao within the darkness, trying to discern more. He couldn't do this before, but now he was highly sensitive to such things!

"The power of forbidden arts...""The power of the Death God...""The power of decay...""The power of devouring..."

Compared to the Red-robed Night Guardian's "Innate Attribute Power: Darkness" – a low-level ability lacking even profound realms! – the power mastered by the Heavenly Human Five Decays was truly on a much higher plane. His darkness wasn't caused by attribute power; it was the result of a malevolent Yin evil art!

Xu Xiaoshou remembered that the Art Ancestor was proficient in basic attributes like Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Light, Darkness, Wind, and Lightning, and thus the Malevolent Yin Evil God was also proficient. In their era, attributes weren't even primary; it was the arts themselves that, once specialized, determined the direction of the attributes. This was the fundamental reason for the darkness on Sacred Mountain and in the Transmission Mirror.

However, if that were all, it would likely not easily deceive the Transmission Mirror's "analysis," nor would it obstruct Ai Cangsen's "Eye of the Great Dao." Therefore, on top of this, the long-unseen Ancestral Source Power – the power of the Death God – appeared, withering nearly all the Great Dao laws on the scene and sealing off most external forces' "prying" into the darkness.

"His Death God power has grown so quickly?" Xu Xiaoshou was inwardly shocked by the Heavenly Human Five Decays' speed of transformation. If Night Owl's mastery of Death God power was merely an initial glimpse, what the Heavenly Human Five Decays displayed now was far beyond that!

In terms of both quality and quantity, it was no longer merely the forced application of Ancestral Source Power; even compared to his own... Heavenly Ancestor Power, due to his status as the Heavenly Ancestor's successor, was something the Heavenly Human Five Decays couldn't possibly match. However, compared to the Dragon Ancestor Power, Xu Xiaoshou felt the Death God power permeating the surroundings might even surpass it.

"He's definitely consciously nurturing his Death God power!" Xu Xiaoshou hadn't yet had time to analyze the original true stele's "Dragon" character; his Dragon Ancestor Power was currently still in the preliminary stage, cultivated by devouring ninety-nine Dragon Apricot fruits. But he could perfectly imagine how the Heavenly Human Five Decays "nurtured" it: If one used the power of devouring to consume a large quantity of other things in a short time, all to nourish the Death God power, it could achieve a "one-shot success" effect. This was the terrifying aspect of the first of the Five Great Absolute Physiques! However, being able to "nurture" Ancestral Source Power indicated that the Heavenly Human Five Decays' application of devouring power probably surpassed Xu Xiaoshou's own initial combination with the Greedy God!

"I don't dare to use it much, but he uses it frequently and seemingly without any burden..." The "crunching and gnawing" sounds of consumption around him continued, making Xu Xiaoshou's head buzz. He felt that the Heavenly Human Five Decays was even more sinister than he had imagined. Calculated this way, the Heavenly Human Five Decays not only mastered three of the Absolute Physiques, but it seemed two of them had reached "great perfection" within a short period?

And that's not all! The most terrifying aspect wasn't even these. It was the Heavenly Human Five Decays' almost qualitatively transformed "battle awareness"!

Xu Xiaoshou distinctly remembered that during their joint fight against Number Two in the Void Island's Sin Hall, the Heavenly Human Five Decays' performance was nowhere near as exaggerated as it was now. He possessed powerful abilities, but his application of them was very rudimentary; looking at him then from the current perspective, his use of power was entirely superficial. But now... he could even block Zhong Yuanzi's spatial power, and react to Ai Cangsen's Evil Sin Bow arrows. This was more than just a qualitative leap!

"Power can be nurtured, even the most advanced, though the cost is significant." "But battle awareness, how do you nurture that?" There's no other way; just one word: fight! And it has to be non-stop fighting, tempering one's awareness through combat.

Xu Xiaoshou knew he was an exception; his battle awareness had been a byproduct of his reckless passive skills and the Great Dao Disk. But outsiders didn't have such convenient options.

Moreover, calculating carefully, only three or four months had passed since the battle at Sin Hall. In such a short time, not to mention the difficulty of finding opponents of similar caliber for the Heavenly Human Five Decays, even if he could find them and fought them constantly, every day... his battle awareness shouldn't have elevated to this level so suddenly, right?

"Was he possessed? Or did he fall off a cliff, stumble upon great fortune, and devour the combat experience of some ancient mighty being?" Aside from normal means, it seemed only abnormal circumstances or sheer luck were possible explanations.

At this point, he could no longer discern the future trajectory of the Heavenly Human Five Decays. From the Southern Domain, he had stepped onto Sacred Mountain and touched the darkness, amazed that the Heavenly Human Five Decays seemed like a completely different person. His growth rate was even more terrifying than Xu Xiaoshou's own, who was one of the Ten Great Sovereigns!

However, the scene didn't give him more time to verify further details. The "crunching" sound in his ears didn't last long. Just as he was still wondering if the current Heavenly Human Five Decays could contend with a fully matured Ai Cangsen, one of the Ten Great Sovereigns... reality provided the answer!

"Arrow of Path-Breaking." Darkness enveloped Sacred Mountain; the only thing it couldn't cover was sound. From the distant sky, when that slightly annoyed whisper sounded, the entire world seemed to crack open.

Disappearance Art! Xu Xiaoshou didn't immediately leave Sacred Mountain; instead, he concealed himself in place. At the same time, the imprints he had left throughout the Five Domains clearly observed the scene on the Transmission Mirror, which was identical to what he saw on Sacred Mountain at that moment.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh— The night sky was torn open like fabric by immense force, shattering into pieces under the relentless penetration of the Arrow of Path-Breaking, finally collapsing with a thunderous roar. The Transmission Mirrors across the Five Domains vibrated, and the black screens were restored.

Fengzhongzui hadn't exerted any effort; he had merely stayed in place for a moment, and then perceived that the boundless dark Great Dao in the void had shattered. "Emperor Ai Cangsen has unleashed his power! The Arrow of Path-Breaking! This arrow tore apart the surrounding Dao laws, forcing Senior Heavenly Human Five Decays to reveal his true... form..." As the Transmission Mirror shifted, showing the Heavenly Human Five Decays returning from the darkness on the mountainside, Fengzhongzui's voice gradually trailed off. Horror slowly crept across his face.

"What is that?!" A scream echoed throughout the Five Domains. Everyone simultaneously felt their blood run cold. For after the night receded, the Heavenly Human Five Decays stood on the mountainside, sleeves hanging, completely unharmed!

"Where are his wounds?" The wounds that had shattered half of his body from the Evil Sin Bow's arrow were evidently restored as new.

"And Qin Duan, Qiu Gu?" Under observation, there wasn't even a trace of the physical remains of Half-Saint Qin Duan or Half-Saint Qiu Gu in his left or right hands.

"What about the Half-Saint avatars? I remember he summoned three of them?" Fengzhongzui's voice continuously questioned. But the people of the Five Domains followed the Transmission Mirror's view and searched Sacred Mountain all around, seeing nothing. When those three Half-Saint avatars arrived, it was roughly at the moment they were about to descend upon Sacred Mountain, which coincided with the appearance of Great Night's Embrace. Perhaps they were frightened and all returned the way they came. Or perhaps...

"He ate them all, huh?" Fengzhongzui felt his throat dry up, startled by his own words, and corrected himself: "They're all dead?" As if to confirm Fengzhongzui's words, the humanoid figure standing on the mountainside's arms, which had been hanging loosely in his sleeves, suddenly extended, revealing two withered hands. In each palm, one on the left and one on the right, he held a crystal gem.

"Half-Saint Ranks?!" A chilling wind suddenly swept through Guihe Sacred Mountain. Everyone on the plaza felt their limbs turn cold.

"When a person dies, their spirit remains; when the spirit dies, their intent remains; when the intent dies, an avatar remains..." The Heavenly Human Five Decays had pulled the rug out from under them, resolving everything within those few seconds of darkness, and even extracting their Half-Saint Ranks?

The chilling wind from Sacred Mountain trembled with the Transmission Mirror, sweeping towards the Five Domains. At this moment, anyone who looked at the Heavenly Human Five Decays on the mountainside felt their hair stand on end.

"The King of Hell...""Heavenly Human Five Decays, what a living King of Hell!"

Ai Cangsen rarely got angry. In fact, with the Eye of the Great Dao monitoring the Five Domains, it was virtually impossible for incidents to occur under his watchful eye that would provoke his anger.

But in just those few seconds... The Eye of the Great Dao had been blacked out for the first time! Death God power covered the entire area, and all he could see was dark Great Dao laws. He had indeed seen the essence of the art — the Great Dao laws — but only the laws remained. He knew nothing about what had happened within the battlefield!

Ai Cangsen was only a hair's breadth too slow in dispelling the darkness, and his counter to the evil god power was also a fraction too slow... When the Arrow of Path-Breaking emerged, the Death God power vanished. By the time he looked back, Qin Duan and Qiu Gu were already dead right under his nose, and even their Half-Saint Ranks had been extracted.

Thirty years! Ai Cangsen had never encountered such an audacious individual. Even when Xu Xiaoshou ascended the mountain, he had shown respect by not choosing to directly confront the Emperor's might. The Heavenly Human Five Decays' style of action seemed to only consider the present, with no thought for consequences. What was written on his King of Hell mask seemed to be just three words: "Kill me."

"Buzz!" The Evil Sin Bow's string vibrated lightly. Ai Cangsen gripped it tightly, but didn't immediately raise it.

In his ears, in the ears of the saints on Sacred Mountain's plaza, and even in the ears of the spectators before the Transmission Mirrors across the Five Domains at this very moment, echoed Xi's slightly trembling voice, a voice that didn't even bother to conceal anything, wanting only to reveal the truth to the Five Domains of the continent:

"The Heavenly Human Five Decays originated from the Southern Domain's Art-Gold Sect. He was born with the Decaying Physique, one of the Five Great Absolute Physiques. The Art-Gold Sect, the Southern Domain's foremost power, endured for thirteen years before its luck completely collapsed, and it was subsequently destroyed! The Heavenly Human Five Decays was invited by the Yellow Springs to join the King of Hell. The King of Hell once operated outside Tianqi Forest in East Heaven Royal City, seizing the Three Disgusting Pupils of Jiang Xian, the Half-Saint successor of the Puxuan Jiang clan from the Northern Domain. These Tear Family Eyes were later installed into the Heavenly Human Five Decays! The Heavenly Human Five Decays has been to the Sky City and, through a convoluted process, achieved sainthood with the Blood World Pearl. While retaining his own Absolute Physique, he killed Night Owl, the head of the Dark Department, and seized the Death God power he possessed, as well as one of the Five Great Absolute Physiques that had evolved before Night Owl's death: the Undying Physique? The Heavenly Human Five Decays possesses... The Heavenly Human Five Decays also possesses the Devouring Physique? Specific details are unclear, but he has... three Absolute Physiques?!"

Xi appeared to be reading this intelligence report for the first time. As he reached the end, he looked up at everyone, his gaze somewhat unfocused. There was something he didn't say. The Abnormality Department had not collected any intelligence regarding the Heavenly Human Five Decays after the Void Island incident. This information had apparently been classified as top secret by the Dao Hall Master at the time, known only to him, and never publicly released. The latest "Heavenly Human Five Decays Briefing" he had just received was indeed his first time seeing it, and it came from someone signed as "A Warmhearted Fugitive from the Southern Domain."

"Dao Hall Master, are you watching Sacred Mountain too? Dao Hall Master, please come and save Sacred Mountain. How can you be at ease letting something so terrifying come here?" Xi prayed silently.

In reality, what he most wanted to say wasn't those two sentences above, but... "Dao Hall Master, please come and take me away! But I'm just Xi. What value do I have? I can't even compare to Sword Immortal Wuyue's pinky finger; I don't even qualify to be the Dao Hall Master's sword!" Xi's unfocused gaze finally dimmed completely.

Upon hearing this entire revelation, Fengzhongzui, who was still in the sky, no longer trembled, nor did his heart pound. The people of the Five Domains fell silent for a long while, unsure how to react after learning the truth; they wanted to feel fortunate but couldn't, and wanted to ignore it but couldn't. Both inside and outside the battlefield, everyone felt a great disaster looming.

"Possessing, three Absolute