Chapter 1721: Belated Arrival of Suo Weige, Strategy for Fattening and Slaying

Dao Qiongcang was not, and never had been, Xu Xiaoshou's trump card.

The reason he dared to provoke Emperor Han in this moment, even brazenly calling him “Brother Gong Han,” was solely because Eight-Finger didn't leave.

Ever since this guy entered the Middle Realm, he had been sitting calmly in place, like an unmoving Buddha.

He looked as if he were crippled.

Because of the simple phrase “I am here,” Xu Xiaoshou felt that Eight-Finger must have something to rely on, a hidden card.

Surely, his trump card wasn't Xu Xiaoshou himself?

However, after the recent clash with the Sacred Ancestor's Hand, while it appeared Xu Xiaoshou had won, he had secretly gleaned some insight into Emperor Han's methods.

He was quite surprised.

He had activated almost all the power within the Dragon Pearl, using the Shattered Anvil Shield as a weapon, capable of shattering anything in the world without surprise.

This was the effect he wanted — with Dao Gong's help, he had grown stronger!

Yet, Emperor Han's Sacred Ancestor's Hand had been merely a casual strike.

From that, Xu Xiaoshou had discerned something.

He now understood why Ai Cangsheng wouldn't fight, and why Dao Qiongcang only thought of escaping.

“I can't win.”

“If he used his full power, I definitely couldn't win.”

The ancestral power contained within the Sacred Ancestor's Hand was extremely pure, seemingly without a single trace of impurity. Its quality was so refined that it reminded Xu Xiaoshou of something he hadn't thought about in a long time.

Divine Transformation!

He remembered that in the Divine Remains, Yue Gongli had once produced a Void Giant Lord, which was refined from a Heavenly Ancestor's Divine Transformation — a single finger.

The Heavenly Ancestor's power it contained, although not comparable to the genuine Heavenly Ancestor's inherited power within him, was still immeasurable.

It ultimately died, devoured by the Fetal Saint Plant, drained completely, leaving no trace of its physical form. This was only because it was weak.

The Divine Transformation itself was not weak!

What's more, that was merely the power of a single finger.

With the Fetal's divine status, consuming a single finger's worth of Divine Transformation was more than enough, especially when Yue Gongli had no other tricks up his sleeve.

It was also then that Xu Xiaoshou learned that ancestral power could be obtained from Divine Transformations.

Moreover, its quality and quantity were linked to how much Divine Transformation was possessed.

Now, after a direct clash with the Sacred Ancestor's Hand, and realizing that its ancestral power might rival his own in strength, and even surpass his in application, Xu Xiaoshou immediately began to ponder:

“Either Emperor Han is an ancestral god's successor just like me...”

That's impossible!

All Spirit Refiners in the Five Domains were successors of the Sacred Ancestor.

Because the Sacred Ancestor's path had opened up the current Spirit Refinement path, unlike the Heavenly Ancestor, his successors were no longer unique.

“Or Emperor Han possesses more than half of the most primal Sacred Ancestor's power...”

This is also impossible!

The most primal Sacred Ancestor's power was divided into two parts: half in the Sacred Palace and half in the Sacred God's Temple.

Even if the half in the Sacred God's Temple was actually in the hands of the Five Great Saint Emperor families, it would still have to be distributed proportionally.

Even if the Han Imperial Realm held the largest share, it wouldn't amount to “half.”

“Then only one possibility remains: Emperor Han possesses a large amount of Sacred Ancestor's Divine Transformation!”

Only this explanation could account for the extreme purity of his Sacred Ancestor's power.

And to rely on Divine Transformation to achieve such quality and quantity of Sacred Ancestor's power meant that Emperor Han possessed an extremely large amount of Divine Transformation.

More than one finger.

Ten fingers, even an entire hand, wouldn't be enough.

“He must possess at least one complete hand of the Sacred Ancestor, not an energy-condensed Sacred Ancestor's Hand, but a true Sacred Ancestor's Hand!”

“He might even possess half, or nearly all, of the Sacred Ancestor's Divine Transformation!”

That's quite terrifying.

The power of Divine Transformation lies in the fact that it doesn't matter whether you are an ancestral god's successor.

As long as you possess Divine Transformation, you can indirectly manipulate ancestral power by controlling it.

Yue Gongli is the best example.

He used the Six-Marrow Corpse King to contain the Sacred Ancestor's power, the Void Giant Lord to wield the Heavenly Ancestor's power, and also cultivated the Malevolent Yin Evil God's form, thereby gaining control over the Evil God's power.

While he seemed like a fool in combat within the Divine Remains, his foundation was terrifying; he had indirectly integrated the three ancestral powers.

Those who thought him a fool were the true fools!

Yue Gongli, moreover, possessed Yin affinity.

A-Si, whom he had just encountered, also possessed Yin affinity.

Emperor Han, who had just wielded the Sacred Ancestor's Hand, also gave off a cold feeling in every aspect apart from his ancestral power, suggesting he too possessed Yin affinity.

Judging by these individuals from the Han Imperial Realm, most members of the Yue clan likely possessed Yin affinity. Yue Gongli excelled at refining corpses; perhaps Emperor Han was even stronger?

If he possessed all of the Sacred Ancestor's Divine Transformation... or even just most of it, could he, through Yin affinity manipulation, indirectly transform into the Sacred Ancestor?

Between the Sacred Ancestor of the Saint Spirit Continent and the Malevolent Yin of the Divine Remains, who was stronger?

“This might be too much...”

The flashy old Daoist becoming the Sacred Ancestor was a pretense.

His own transformation into the Sacred Ancestor was also a pretense, based on the flashy old Daoist's earlier act.

Recalling Dao Qiongcang's previous warnings, Xu Xiaoshou realized that Emperor Han might genuinely be capable of transforming into the Sacred Ancestor!

Xu Xiaoshou immediately diverted a wisp of his consciousness to glance at Eight-Finger.

This guy was still sitting cross-legged, eyes closed in meditation, as if saying, “If the sky falls, I, this eight-fingered cripple, will hold it up.”

“I am here.”

Thinking of those words, Xu Xiaoshou felt some solace, a sense of security as if a god stood behind him.

“Dao Qiongcang, you and I are in this together now, right?” Xu Xiaoshou decided to keep pushing his luck. He immediately sent a telepathic message to the flashy old Daoist diving in the Southern Nether.

“Get lost!”

The flashy old Daoist actively disconnected the Empathy Art, but found that Xu Xiaoshou was like a maggot in the bone, his voice still reaching him.

He didn't dare to transmit information by implanting memories in Xu Xiaoshou from afar, so he had to reconnect the Empathy Art, fuming, “You are you, I am me. Emperor Han isn't stupid; he won't fall for your scheme. I'm a good person!”

“Pfft.”

“What are you laughing at?!” Dao Qiongcang was instantly enraged; this fellow was unbearable.

“Do you need me to inform Emperor Han about your achievement as the 'Dao Department's Sole Survivor'?” Xu Xiaoshou said quietly.

“Hall Master Dao, you were once a Hall Master. Gou Wuyue had his arm severed just for being suspected of not giving his full effort. Don't you know the style of your Saint Emperor families?”

In the depths of the Southern Nether, Dao Qiongcang was left speechless by the retort.

Yes, he was not a good person, and over the years, he had continued with explicitly forbidden research.

Perhaps due to the indifference of those in power, few high-ranking members of the Five Great Saint Emperor families knew about the “good deeds” he had been doing on Gui Zhe Sacred Mountain all these years.

But he truly couldn't withstand an investigation.

If he were still on the Sacred Mountain, still serving as Hall Master, he would only need to submit some good news at regular intervals, letting those above know that “the Five Domains are stable.”

That would be enough; they wouldn't bother to think too much or meddle too much — no one constantly guards against ants.

But he was no longer Hall Master Dao.

He was outside, and if suspicion arose on the Heavenly Ladder, an investigation would reveal loopholes everywhere.

Even if he were diving in the Southern Nether, it would be equivalent to surfacing!

“Dao Xuanji...”

Thinking of this, Dao Qiongcang wished he could stab more holes into his sister.

He could have arranged everything before silently diving into the deep waters, attracting no attention.

He had thought the variables could be fixed at the time. It turned out that true variables couldn't be fixed; variables that could be fixed weren't called variables to begin with.

The point of its eruption was, surprisingly, now!

“Why did you drag me into this?” Dao Qiongcang's tone returned to calm, and he became the enigmatic Dao Qiongcang once more.

He was not someone who dwelled on the past.

He quickly accepted being forcibly bound to Xu Xiaoshou, because “breaking free” was more difficult and thankless than “solving the problem.”

As his thoughts shifted, he could immediately think about the problem from both perspectives, but he found he didn't quite understand Xu Xiaoshou anymore.

“I don't know.”

The Empathy Art conveyed Xu Xiaoshou's words, which sounded perfunctory but were extremely serious:

“I have a hunch you weren't so kind as to simply help me. With 'Thirteen Must-Asks' and the Heavenly Secret Blockade, I must have been used by you.”

“You talked about equivalent exchange, so being so good to me, you must have profited from me somewhere, but I'm too stupid to figure out how you used me.”

“So, I can't be the only one losing out. You've paid your 'friendship fee.' When there's good fortune, I'll enjoy it; when there's trouble, we'll face it together.”

“I gave you 'Thirteen Unspeakables'!” Dao Qiongcang retorted angrily.

“Oh, really?”

“Hehehe...” Deep beneath the sea, Dao Qiongcang was amused by his own feigned anger. Xu Xiaoshou really was a keen judge of character!

Gurgle.

He could always hear the sound of water parting through his thoughts, and faintly, the roar of sea beasts.

After dispersing the Sacred Ancestor's Hand, there wasn't much time left, and it certainly wasn't for flirting with Dao Qiongcang.

Dao Qiongcang wasn't a trump card.

But he could definitely be considered a backup plan.

Xu Xiaoshou wouldn't bind himself to a fool.

What he wanted was the feeling of being used by Eight-Finger from East Heaven King City and by Dao Qiongcang from the Divine Remains.

With a wise person as a chess piece, one didn't need to consider every detail; they could naturally introduce variables and achieve unexpected results at critical moments.

Xu Xiaoshou specifically glanced, marking the spatial node where the water sounds originated, confirming that Dao Qiongcang was indeed hidden underwater, in the extreme depths of the Southern Nether.

Was it useful?

Even if you hid a hundred thousand miles beneath the sea, Brother Gong Han would only need to play a Sacred Ancestor's Hand card to fish you out.

Something was amiss. A strange thought suddenly arose in Xu Xiaoshou's mind, and he asked, “Speaking of which, I hadn't even dragged you into this back then, so why did you run into the water on your own ahead of time?”

This question received no response from Dao Qiongcang.

Xu Xiaoshou reacted, sensing that he must have hit upon something crucial; this guy was actually evading the question!

So, he wasn't just in the Southern Domain, instinctively hiding in the Southern Nether, but had been deliberately hiding from the very beginning?

“If I were Dao Qiongcang...”

Xu Xiaoshou put himself in Dao Qiongcang's shoes and suddenly understood.

If he were Dao Qiongcang, when explaining to Emperor Han that he had been framed by Xu Xiaoshou, he would certainly have harbored the thought of not being understood and being apprehended first.

Thus, while explaining clearly, Dao Qiongcang also had to find a path for himself, a path to prepare in advance for when he might be forced to confront Emperor Han.

A path to survival!

And your path is my path!

Xu Xiaoshou was overjoyed. Dao Qiongcang was simply too useful; binding himself to this guy was the wisest decision.

Eight-Finger would remain as a trump card for now.

The unexpected gains from playing the Dao Qiongcang card were like finding a treasure.

Seeing that the guy still wouldn't speak clearly, Xu Xiaoshou used the Empathy Art to send a telepathic message, scolding him:

“Well, well, Dao Qiongcang!”

“You're unwilling to share secrets with me now?”

“Have you forgotten our friendship in the Divine Remains?”

“It wasn't you who was dragged into this, it was me, okay? And now you're secretly going off to do these mysterious things... Why are you going to the Southern Nether? Who exactly is in the Southern Nether? Speak!”

“Eh?”

Above the nine heavens, a belated sound of surprise echoed.

The Sacred Ancestor's Hand being shattered by a single blow, and power of such intensity appearing on the Saint Spirit Continent, was not uncommon.

But for such power to emerge from an unknown junior, that was very rare.

However, for a Saint Emperor, it shouldn't take much time to traverse the Heavenly Ladder from the Han Imperial Realm to the Saint Spirit Continent.

Yet, Emperor Han's surprised exclamation was delayed by a significant moment.

This made everyone in the Five Domains, who had thought the matter concluded, once again become anxious and uneasy.

“The battle isn't over...”

“The Saint Emperor still came, just a bit late. Is he injured?”

Feng Zhongzui was somewhat confused.

Did Young Master Shou's blow gravely injure Emperor Han?

Or was Hall Master Dao's power so great that he could block a Saint Emperor's perception for such a long time?

Neither was right!

It shouldn't be such a superficial understanding!

No matter how foolish, everyone in the Five Domains knew it shouldn't be for such reasons. Perhaps Emperor Han was delayed by something else.

Xu Xiaoshou was equally puzzled.

He was cautious and indirect when dealing with Dao Qiongcang, but much more direct with the still-confused A-Si within the Apricot Realm. He controlled A-Si and immediately asked:

“What is Emperor Han's true body doing right now?”

“In seclusion...”

“For what purpose?”

“To become a god... to be called an Ancestor...”

Well, I'll be!

Compared to Feng Yujin, who did nothing, or Rao Wangze, who gifted things upon meeting, my Brother Gong Han was far too ambitious!

Did he possess an ancestral god's destiny, or was he seeking to become the Eleventh Ancestor through other means, via a different path?

Though his thoughts were lighthearted, after hearing A-Si's words, Xu Xiaoshou's heart was actually heavy.

If anyone else had such ambition, it would be a pipe dream.

Emperor Han, having mastered myriad techniques and gathered the fortunes of various realms, his probability of success might genuinely not be low!

Or rather...

If someone of his caliber couldn't succeed, then the other four great families... oh, three great Saint Emperor families, who had been suppressed by him for so long, would likely have little hope either.

Was it truly only these prodigies of the Ten Seats who could create miracles?

In this light, the ripples he had caused in the Five Domains, under the great matter of becoming a god and an Ancestor, were indeed a bit small.

His attention might have been drawn only because Dao Qiongcang had helped him block the Heavenly Secrets of all Five Domains, creating an “anomaly.”

This damned, flashy old Daoist, who made a mountain out of a molehill, clearly had ulterior motives!

“Saint Emperor's divine status.”

Emperor Han once again turned his attention, but this time he didn't manifest a human face or launch an attack.

His words were extremely ethereal, making it hard to grasp his meaning.

Feng Zhongzui was surprised: “Young Master Shou shattered his Sacred Ancestor's Hand, and Emperor Han doesn't seem angry?”

More than that!

The people of the Five Domains truly witnessed the height and magnanimity a true Saint Emperor should possess.

Young Master Shou's previous actions were extremely arrogant!

Calling him Brother Gong Han, transforming into the Sacred Ancestor to beat down the Sacred Ancestor's Hand, and Hall Master Dao aiding and abetting...

Emperor Han, didn't care about any of this?

This was truly a Saint Emperor!

Xu Xiaoshou, however, understood Brother Gong Han's sinister thoughts in an instant. This fellow had no magnanimity; he was clearly extremely narrow-minded.

You clashed once, and you still lost.

And now you're asking for the Saint Emperor's divine status with such audacity?

So you don't care at all about what's happening on the Saint Spirit Continent, and even the anomaly caused by the Heavenly Secret Blockade in the Five Domains isn't your main concern.

You wanted to come to the Saint Spirit Continent anyway, and this time you just stopped by to solve all your problems at once, right?

Others might not understand, but Xu Xiaoshou grasped it clearly. He knew Emperor Han was asking for Rao Wangze's Saint Emperor's divine status.

The key is, I don't have it! If you're so capable, go get it from the Malevolent Yin yourself; he swallowed that thing whole!

He glanced at Eight-Finger again.

Eight-Finger remained calmly seated.

Thinking of “I am here,” Xu Xiaoshou straightened his back, then angrily raised his voice and yelled, “Calling you Brother Gong Han, you really think you're...”

“Xu Xiaoshou!”

Dao Qiongcang's terrified voice came through the Empathy Art.

Stop it, my Xu! The person you're provoking, won't I be the one to clean up your mess in the end?

If you provoke him further, and he truly emerges from seclusion, I won't be able to salvage anything!

The Empathy Art immediately delivered all the information Dao Qiongcang no longer dared to hide:

“Using the Heavenly Secret Blockade as a trigger to cause an anomaly in the Five Domains can instantly draw the attention of the Saint Emperor families. It will most likely draw out Emperor Han because he is the head of the families.”

“Once Emperor Han turns his attention, the other families won't pay any more mind; this is an established rule.”

“But Emperor Han is in seclusion, so he won't make a big deal out of nothing.”

“Therefore, once he arrives, as long as he's sent away, even if the Saint Spirit Continent is shaken by earth-shattering battles afterward, as long as the Heavenly Ladder isn't deliberately disturbed, no one will come for a short time.”

“Or rather, even if someone comes, it will be someone I'm confident I can provoke.”

Xu Xiaoshou was slightly stunned.

Dao Qiongcang was truly helping the Saint Slaves? Was he paving a way?

No, he could only be helping himself. Anyone who thought Dao Qiongcang was a good person was either a fool or had been led to become one.

The telepathic message via Empathy Art continued, explaining clearly:

“If you hadn't asked A-Si the questions then, I would have done the same thing, but it would have been delayed.”

“But since you asked, I decided to help you, to permanently settle Emperor Han's mind first, and then deal with future matters.”

This time, Xu Xiaoshou didn't understand and retorted:

“How is this a permanent solution?”

“We still have to pay a Saint Emperor's divine status... I don't have one! I only have an ancestral god's destiny!”

“Should we just give it to him and help him become a god and an Ancestor? Maybe he's just one step away from us, and his coming to the Saint Spirit Continent is fated!”

Dao Qiongcang did not respond further.

In his world, it wasn't always about fighting or surrendering; many things had roundabout solutions.

Feed them, put them to sleep, fatten them up, then you can kill them.

He sent a telepathic message via Empathy Art, saying lightly, “Stall him for a bit. I have a plan.”

Southern Nether.

The Kun, greatest of sea beasts, was in a deep slumber.

It hadn't noticed that a tiny human had stealthily arrived at this deep, cold seabed and found it.

He stood atop its head; this was insignificant and caused no abnormality.

“Old Fish, don't sleep. Time to wake up and cultivate.”