Chapter 1735: The Ancestral Tree's Worldly Fate Now Changes Me, The Way in the Human World Only Favors Eight

Shen BaiLiu, disregarding the barrier of the Nine-Star Boundary Gate, pulled Zhu YiKe away?

This aerial retrieval of a person stunned everyone in the Five Domains, including Ai CangSheng.

"How did he do it?"

Feng ZhongZui completely failed to understand.

Although he didn't know much about the Ancestral Tree Shen BaiLiu, he knew CangSheng DaDi very well.

Once the Nine-Star Boundary Gate was activated, even if ShouYe mastered the spatial profoundness and could instantly annihilate all nine arrows, Ai CangSheng would have enough time to kill Zhu YiKe a hundred times over while ShouYe was breaking the arrow formation.

Yet, unexpectedly, ShouYe didn't make a move from beginning to end, and Ai CangSheng's defenses were for naught.

The one who ultimately retrieved Zhu YiKe was Shen BaiLiu!

"Defecting… oh no, pledging allegiance, it’s one thing."

"Shen BaiLiu, I remember it was a severed stump, cut down by Old Man You long ago."

"Even if it recovered its former strength, it would be impossible to retrieve Zhu YiKe... Senior, without CangSheng DaDi noticing, right?"

Feng ZhongZui held the Preaching Mirror and spoke, utterly baffled.

The only thing he could think of was that Shen BaiLiu had used some power, not only breaking the Nine-Star Boundary Gate but also affecting CangSheng DaDi.

But what power could be superior in level to the Ten Venerables?

The mirror still showed the fading image of the Ghost Willow in the sky, as seen by Feng XiaoShuang.

As Feng ZhongZui watched, he seemed to find an answer, but his tone was one of doubt, as he murmured:

"Where did he take him?"

He paused, holding back the latter half of his sentence, "It doesn't look like he was taken to the Xing World, does it?"

With a suspicious glance at ShouYe, Feng ZhongZui had a vague guess.

The ZhanShenGuan Ruins!

Perhaps ShouYe wasn't rambling earlier.

He might have truly obtained everything from the ZhanShenGuan Ruins, or even become its master.

With this temptation, or perhaps threat, he compelled Shen BaiLiu, after the Ancestral Tree was dug up, to actively or passively defect.

Then, using the power of the ZhanShenGuan Ruins, he forcibly extended the willow branches and took Zhu YiKe.

A flawless plan!

This transcended the rules of the ShengShen Continent.

CangSheng DaDi also became like a frog in a well, never expecting ShouYe's psychological stratagem to originate from beyond the heavens?

However, the most crucial question remained unanswered.

Among the people of the Five Domains, many were intelligent. At this moment, their conclusions were roughly similar to Feng ZhongZui's, and their remaining confusion was almost identical:

"How could the Nine-Star Boundary Gate be overcome?"

"Receiving!"

While the people of the Five Domains, represented by Feng ZhongZui, couldn't understand, Xu XiaoShou completely understood the key to his victory.

Since he dared to let Zhu YiKe cause trouble, he had already secured his retreat path.

As previously stated, Zhu YiKe would be unharmed from beginning to end – though some minor injuries were unavoidable.

This retreat path, or countermeasure, was appearing for the first time and guaranteed a way out.

Ai CangSheng was not Dao QiongCang.

Even if he were, he would likely be unable to defend against it.

"The Gate of Receiving!"

Earlier, after Xu XiaoShou dug up the Ancestral Trees Gui and Liu, he conceived the idea of transforming the Divine Ruins into the TianXuan Gate of the Xing World.

The key to this was his need to rely on Shen BaiLiu to communicate with the DiYing Sacred Plant, working together to create a Gate of Receiving that would allow passage between the two worlds.

In reality, this Gate of Receiving was not yet fully constructed.

However, the TianXuan Gate of the Xing World didn't necessarily have to take shape in a short period.

It was a grand project that could be divided into several steps.

One such step was for Shen BaiLiu to decipher the Receiving rules left by Ran Ming and bring them under its, or the Divine Ruins owner's, control.

Thus, large-scale reception of people into the Divine Ruins might not be possible or safe at present, as it could easily allow Sui Yin to locate the Divine Ruins.

But on a small scale, like pulling one person from somewhere, it was too simple.

With Xu XiaoShou's powerful spatial profoundness for positioning.

With the Divine Ruins' rules that surpassed the Dao-transformation limit.

As long as Shen BaiLiu resided in the Divine Ruins, retrieving someone from the lower-plane ShengShen Continent would not be altered by anyone's will on the ShengShen Continent.

Even if that person was Ai CangSheng.

Just as a god cannot open a foursome on the ShengShen Continent, Ai CangSheng, if he doesn't activate the Art Seed Containment, is still subject to the rule limit suppression of this lower plane.

His Nine-Star Boundary Gate, even if it could block the interference of all people and things on the ShengShen Continent with events occurring in the banished domain, it still couldn't reach the level of super-Dao-transformation.

No matter how strong the power of the Evil God was, Ai CangSheng dealing with a single Zhu YiKe would not necessitate unsealing the Art Seed Containment.

Therefore, under the manipulation of Shen BaiLiu, the head of the Ancestral Gods, the "Receiving" originating from ZhanShenGuan Ran Ming's will, let alone retrieving Zhu YiKe right in front of Ai CangSheng, even if he didn't react, it would have been possible to retrieve his Evil Sin Bow…

If Xu XiaoShou hadn't feared a repeat of previous incidents, like when QingLinJi was taken into the Yuan Mansion but was still located, and also feared that Ai CangSheng might use some method to find the Divine Ruins' coordinates through it, he would have truly wanted to take away the Evil Sin Bow and make Ai CangSheng's head even larger!

The daily humiliation of AiGou was complete.

The person was also successfully retrieved.

And the traitor Ghost Willow was even revealed.

The plan, it could be said, was "perfectly executed."

The only flaw was that Zhu YiKe, out of fear, severed two of his fingers and was severely injured by the lingering effects of the Evil Sin Bow's arrow.

This couldn't be helped.

Zhu YiKe had never been a good actor.

Xu XiaoShou also didn't dare to be so presumptuous as to tell him all the actions, as there was still "Guidance" in this world.

Saying too much increased the risk of exposure.

"The story ends here."

In the Dead Sea, Xu XiaoShou was like a storyteller. After Shen BaiLiu received Zhu YiKe, he clapped his hands and said with a smile:

"My friend Dao QiongCang, the world calls him 'unfathomable.' Now it seems, his reputation is indeed well-deserved."

"Ai CangSheng, didn't I tell you..."

He leaned towards the Preaching Mirror, revealing a look of complete control, and crushed the peach pit in his hand with a snap, "Nothing happened."

He flicked his sleeve, and though the walnut fragments scattered far, he walked deeper into the Dead Sea.

"Follow me down."

Nothing happened…

To ShouYe, after the action, indeed nothing happened.

But the Five Domains could not pretend that none of this had happened, after all, that was Shen BaiLiu!

"I don't understand!"

Some still couldn't believe it:

"How could Shen BaiLiu help ShouYe? What benefit did he promise it?"

"Even if it's the greatest benefit, the World Tree is the World Tree, it's impossible to move easily, the loss is too great. How could Shen BaiLiu leave, how could it leave!"

"What about the fate?"

"What about the fate of our ShengShen Continent?"

Some thought even deeper, becoming increasingly terrified:

"If even Shen BaiLiu has defected, then... what about the Nine Sacrificial Divine Emissary?"

"No way, she wouldn't have defected too, would she? The Nine Sacrificial Divine Emissary is one of the Ten-Person Council members of the ShengShen Temple, she is one of our leaders!"

"Impossible, absolutely impossible! If she defects, that would be a true fate crushing, ShouYe would have almost instantly plundered half of our ShengShen Continent's fate and added it to the Xing World."

"His Xing World already has the Dragon Apricot, and now if we also count Shen BaiLiu and Nine Sacrificial Gui, out of the nine Ancestral Trees, he has three?"

"If the remaining ones..."

This question truly couldn't be pondered further.

Because of Xu XiaoShou's previous "Enlightenment" from his Dao Disk.

Not all of the ShengShen Continent, but at least most of the spirit masters in front of the Preaching Mirror, remembered "forgetting" and "guidance."

Naturally, all the memories of what happened in the Divine Ruins...

Those memories, after coming out, even the name "Divine Ruins" was forgotten, only remembering "ZhanShenGuan Ruins," all revived.

"What about the DiYing Sacred Plant?"

The first person to ask this question turned pale with fright.

"Judging by ShouYe's actions, the ZhanShenGuan Ruins seem to have truly fallen completely into his hands. Then what about the DiYing Sacred Plant in the Dark Forest of the First Heaven before?"

"If he's also taken that, then hasn't he obtained nearly half of the World Trees?"

"What do we have left?"

The World Tree concerns the lifeline of the world.

The ShengShen Continent, led by Ai CangSheng, repeatedly lost to ShouYe, which seemed to indicate something.

Some began to calculate the whereabouts of the World Trees:

"If we consider the worst-case scenario, ShouYe has already obtained four Ancestral Trees, so we only have five left..."

"No! The Blood Tree is in the City of Sky, on Void Island! Void Island is the territory of the Eighth Sword Immortal, and the Sub-Plane Gate is in the hands of the Water Ghost!"

"ShouYe occupies four, ShengNu occupies five?"

"The world's fate is no longer with our ShengShen Temple, it has already fallen to the ShengNu side?"

This was the most terrifying thing!

All the spirit masters who realized this came to a terrifying conclusion that they had been abandoned by this land.

"What about the remaining Ancestral Trees?"

"DaShiHuai! We still have DaShiHuai!"

"No, DaShiHuai seems to be on the Sky Ladder. The Ten Venerable BeiHuai once displayed the power of DaShiHuai!"

"Is BeiHuai one of us..."

What kind of "one of us" was that!

Setting aside positions, ShouYe, for better or worse, was fighting for the interests of the spirit masters and semi-saints.

And in his words, BeiHuai was the mastermind behind the Red-Clothed Ghost Beast experiments, he was the public enemy!

"The Tree of the Sky!"

"The Tree of the Sky hasn't appeared, the Xing World probably can't dig it up!"

This was too delightful.

We actually still had an Ancestral Tree to protect us.

But they rejoiced too soon, as soon enough, a survivor from Void Island offered a different perspective:

"Uh, isn't that the Ancestor JinZhao of the Four Divine Pillars?"

"It can be said that he is the will representative of the Tree of the Sky in this world, and he seems to be imprisoned on the inner island of Void Island..."

Ba ZunAn's tree?

Impossible, this is impossible!

"JianMa!"

"We still have JianMa!"

"The Buried Sword Mound in the Eastern Domain, DongShan JianMa, eternally unmoving, is the root of the Eastern ShengShen Continent!"

Some were happy.

Some were sad.

Because everyone quickly realized.

Wen Ting of the Buried Sword Mound, Ba ZunAn's old friend...

"It's okay, it's okay!"

JianMa is rooted in the ShengShen Continent. What could Wen Ting represent about JianMa? Wen Ting has no achievements, he knows nothing about JianMa.

"JianMa is ours."

"And the Ancient Bodhi Tree, the Ancient Bodhi Tree is said to be rooted in the Western Domain. Even if it produced a resentful Buddha from its severed root, exhausting the fate of a whole domain."

"The Buddhist Sect is ours, from the ShengShen Continent, and the Ancient Bodhi Tree is also ours, from the ShengShen Continent."

"We are protected by two Ancestral Trees!"

Two...

At this moment, everyone suddenly realized.

Unbeknownst to them, only two Ancestral Trees remained to protect the ShengShen Continent.

But one had lost its root, and the other's allegiance was unclear.

This could even be said to be less than two trees.

"No wonder, I was thinking why the ShengShen Temple has been repeatedly defeated ever since the ShengNu declared war from the Eight Palaces and Ba ZunAn appeared!"

"So, the world's fate no longer stands with the ShengShen Continent?"

Being overly worried is truly laughable.

But in front of the Preaching Mirrors in the Five Domains, anyone with a bit of sense at this moment began to worry excessively.

Even the World Trees had betrayed them.

How should the Dao continue to be cultivated?

How should the path be walked?

"Xing World..."

Someone looked around, remembered something, and whispered:

"Who was it earlier, who said he was selling tickets to the Xing World? Come out!"

"Lord Li!"

"Yes, Lord Li, damn Lord Li is actually a savior, I had eyes but didn't recognize the Sacred Mountain, I misjudged him..."

"Lord Li, come out!"

Unlike the widespread panic in the Five Domains.

In the Southern Domain, Ai CangSheng held the Evil Sin Bow high, its evil god arrow condensed but unreleased.

He stood frozen in place.

Clearly, he had not yet recovered from the battle.

"I've been played..."

Ai CangSheng had a high level of combat awareness.

The moment he saw Shen BaiLiu's phantom appear beyond the heavens, he actually reacted.

The truth was that even if Shen BaiLiu extended its branches from the Divine Ruins, it was still severely injured and not ZhanShenGuan Ran Ming himself.

He could only lead Zhu YiKe away.

But he couldn't make Ai CangSheng unable to move.

Yet, Ai CangSheng seemed to be forcefully restrained, not by external power, but by himself.

"I've been played by Xu XiaoShou!"

Xu XiaoShou's single phrase, "Nothing happened," caused a storm in Ai CangSheng's heart.

He had been to the Divine Ruins and remembered everything that happened there, the level of Dao principles he sensed.

Beyond the Dao-transformation limit!

The Divine Ruins, this was a great opportunity where even the Ten Venerables could improve.

Ai CangSheng had never thought that the Dao command forcing him to return to the ShengShen Continent, the cause and effect, would manifest at this very moment.

Because he hadn't stayed long enough in the Divine Ruins, he hadn't fully comprehended the Way of Receiving.

On the ShengShen Continent, he was played by Shen BaiLiu, the Ancestral Tree of the ShengShen Continent, using Ran Ming's Way of Receiving from the Divine Ruins.

His cooked Zhu YiKe flew away?

"Heh..."

Ai CangSheng lowered the Evil Sin Bow, a cynical smile tugging at his lips.

Being insulted, betrayed, falling into a trap, and being foolish... Ai CangSheng was amused by his own predicament.

It was clearly a trap he had set.

Xu XiaoShou had also entered the Dead Sea as he wished.

But in the Dead Sea, seemingly passive, yet under Xu XiaoShou's various maneuvers, the isolated one had ironically become himself?

Dead Sea, the Dead Sea was useless.

Ancestral Tree, the Ancestral Tree defected.

"The Primordial Beast" mocked him for sitting down where he was hit to the east, and rushing south when pointed to the south, like an exhausted dog, needing a break everywhere.

And it was true!

What Xu XiaoShou said was absolutely correct!

What was the difference between this and being led by the nose?

"Xu XiaoShou..."

Ai CangSheng believed he had never underestimated this young opponent.

Now, looking back at everything, from the moment Xu XiaoShou returned from the Divine Ruins and brazenly ascended the Sacred Mountain.

He realized that while he hadn't underestimated Xu XiaoShou, he had overestimated himself!

More precisely, he had overestimated his own schemes!

If Xu XiaoShou was equivalent to Dao QiongCang, wasn't what he was doing now essentially abandoning the fundamental for the trivial – not fighting, but competing in schemes?

So, what was the simplest and most brutal way to deal with people like Dao QiongCang?

Ordinary people might respond by remaining silent.

Ai CangSheng's answer was always a single word:

"Fight!"

Yes, from the very beginning, his judgment was correct.

To contend with Xu XiaoShou, the only solution was to "fight"!

But his direction, he didn't know when, had deviated.

Perhaps due to the life and death of the Southern Domain spirit masters, or for other reasons, in short, he had too many concerns, and eventually, it became absurd to even adopt Elder Yu's "Plan Sixteen"...

Who was Elder Yu?

Elder Yu was just a salted fish!

How could his salted fish strategy be adopted by him, and he even felt that he could see it through to the end, achieving the original goal!

In the minds of insidious people like Xu XiaoShou and Dao QiongCang, wasn't this equivalent to giving them ample time, which was what they desired most?

Time, in the hands of ordinary people, is intangible, ungraspable, and only flows away in vain.

In the hands of those people, it was a bargaining chip that could exchange worlds!

"Fight!"

Ai CangSheng finally found himself, glancing coldly to his side, "Return to the Central Domain!"

He couldn't drag it out any longer.

If he dragged it out further, even if he could defeat Xu XiaoShou now, at the end, he would end up defeated due to the various variables they created.

How did Yan WuSe die?

Dragged to death!

How did Rao YaoYao die?

Dragged to death!

Every time a high-ranking member of the ShengShen Temple fell in battle, Dao QiongCang would hold a review meeting. He clearly explained the root of all this, and Ai CangSheng also benefited from it.

These people all died because they couldn't find the main and secondary priorities at the beginning, wasting time in vain.

But when it came to himself...

Ai CangSheng found that it was as if an invisible hand was manipulating the direction of the situation.

Even he himself was deceived and stepped onto this road of no return - being dragged out until completely exhausted!

"Zhong YuanZi!"

A loud cry.

The Elemental Divine Emissary Zhong YuanZi dared not hide any longer and instantly appeared beside him, but cried out mournfully:

"No!"

"CangSheng DaDi, truly no!"

"Since we've already reached this point, we endured before, why can't we endure now?"

"If Xu XiaoShou wants to humiliate us like this, let him humiliate us. As long as he reaches the tenth layer of the Dead Sea, as long as WuXiu returns..."

Zhong YuanZi used both hands and feet, desperately gesturing, "The situation of offense and defense will be reversed! Reversed!"

But Ai CangSheng was not one to listen to advice.

His temperament was even more stubborn than an ancient sword cultivator!

Zhong YuanZi couldn't see the situation clearly, and he was too lazy to explain, only knowing that a莽夫 could defeat a wise man, and only wanting to discard all rationality that would restrict him.

He decisively waved his hand: "Return to the Central Domain!"

"Return to what?"

From afar, a light laugh came.

Zhong YuanZi's tears were already squeezed out, and he still wanted to persuade, but upon hearing this familiar voice, his body violently shook, and he abruptly turned his head.

The Preaching Mirror rattled and blurred, the image completely indistinct.

From behind the mirror, a tall figure in a star-patterned robe walked out.

"Xiao Dao!"

"No, Palace Master Dao!"

Zhong YuanZi's body trembled as if struck by lightning.

The fake tears earlier were instantly replaced by genuine emotion, his tear ducts burst, and water welled up from the corners of his eyes.

Little Dao, you finally decided to come back?

At this moment, all the grievances he had suffered before seemed to be vented. Zhong YuanZi spread his arms, poised to pounce.

He wanted to fiercely hug Dao QiongCang, hug his own brain.

Only by holding the person in front of him could he and Ai CangSheng possibly contend with Xu XiaoShou and turn defeat into victory.

At the very least, they wouldn't be so humiliated by that abominable villain that they had no means of retaliation, not even a chance to curse back!

"Slap!"

Ai CangSheng yanked Elder Zhong's sleeve.

The latter suddenly came back to his senses, Dao QiongCang was clearly an enemy.

The world suddenly turned black, white, and gray. Zhong YuanZi lost all color, collapsing weakly to the ground, as if his brain had been extracted:

"Uh uh uh..."

Ai CangSheng looked at Dao QiongCang, tightening his grip on the Evil Sin Bow. After glancing at the blurred Preaching Mirror, he chose to lower it:

"One more step forward, and I'll kill you."

Everything happening here now, the Five Domains couldn't see, so they could speak freely.

Dao QiongCang heard this, immediately stopped, and raised his hands high, "I'm not here to fight, and I can't beat you."

"You've come as a lobbyist?" Ai CangSheng knew what he was going to do.

"Yes, your choice is correct, but I still ask you to stay in the Southern Domain for now and not go to the Dead Sea," Dao QiongCang said.

"Why?"

"Because of my sincere emotions..."

The Evil Sin Bow was suddenly raised, and an arrow instantly formed.

Dao QiongCang was startled, backing away repeatedly as if the ground was burning his feet. He retreated behind the Preaching Mirror, not daring to act provocatively:

"Because you said it yourself, you are the protector of the Dao, you are the touchstone, you are not truly 'AiGou,' you haven't been guarding the gate for them."

"Because Xu XiaoShou can, he can fulfill your expectations and do what you cannot."

"He can cut your Dao, hone his sword with you, and test his sharpness!"

These words sounded like an insult.

Ai CangSheng, however, frowned and stopped his offensive.

In fact, he could no longer tell if Dao QiongCang was just bluffing or had some other intention.

But it was normal not to be able to tell, he was Dao QiongCang.

Ai CangSheng was too lazy to think about these things anymore.

"Why?"

He asked again. What Dao QiongCang said at this moment was not enough.

But Dao QiongCang's appearance made him calm down again. Indeed, he shouldn't be impulsive because of unbearable humiliation.

If Xu XiaoShou won against him...

If he could do it, then he could also let go of his current persistence.

Thinking of this, Ai CangSheng sighed deeply.

Just as he was about to put down the Evil Sin Bow, Dao QiongCang said weakly, "Of course, it's also because of our decades of affection. Even a husband and wife for a day have a hundred days of grace, we..."

The Evil Sin Bow suddenly rose again. Dao QiongCang stopped abruptly and quickly changed his words:

"Of course not because of me!"

"Of course not because of Xu XiaoShou!"

"Of course, it's even more impossible for me to dispel your persistence with just a few words..."

"Would you die if you didn't ramble?" Ai CangSheng suddenly chuckled. He found that Dao QiongCang seemed to have not changed his original heart for decades. He was still like the young man from thirty years ago, which was good.

The flamboyant old Dao also laughed.

He chuckled and pointed north, no longer hesitating:

"You have the Eye of the Grand Dao. See for yourself. Look towards the Central Domain. Xu XiaoShou's preparations are more extensive than you imagine."

Central Domain...

Zhong YuanZi, paralyzed on the ground, twisted his head at the sound, looking towards the Central Domain.

He didn't have the Eye of the Grand Dao, so he saw nothing. Even with spatial attributes, he didn't have the profoundness to take in the entire Central Domain.

Ai CangSheng looked towards the Central Domain.

Dao QiongCang's voice came from behind him: "Find someone. I won't say his name, find him yourself."

Ai CangSheng scanned all the people in the Central Domain.

As he searched, the entire world was a mix of Dao, and he couldn't see clearly.

"You can't find him, can you?"

The schadenfreude voice behind him sounded. Before Ai CangSheng could get angry, Dao QiongCang quickly added, "Look at the Dao again."

Ai CangSheng observed all the Dao in the Central Domain.

As he sought the Dao, only one person entered his sight.

Central Domain.

Far from the cross-domain teleportation array, Ba ZunAn, who had been meditating cross-legged, stopped, opened his cloudy yellow eyes, stood up, and turned to look south.

"Long time no see..."

He murmured, as if a blind man could see something.

Listening to the content, it seemed he had met an old friend, so was his condition that serious?

The storyteller hurriedly stepped forward to help him:

"Brother, let's sit down, don't mess around."

"Although this place is far from the bustling city and not conspicuous, it's still the Central Domain, and it doesn't tolerate outsiders."

But after a murmur, Ba ZunAn only paused, not stopping his greeting:

"Long time no see, Ai CangSheng..."

AiGou?

No, CangSheng DaDi!

The storyteller trembled violently, his legs somewhat weak. He lowered his voice, gripping his red dress, and said in horror:

"Didn't you say he couldn't see us!"

"Is this seeing or not seeing? Don't scare me, brother!"

Having the Eye of the Grand Dao for decades.

Ai CangSheng seemed to be seeing the Grand Dao for the first time.

That Grand Dao was originally a giant, ethereal sword, piercing down from above the clouds and plunging deep into the earth.

Neither the hilt nor the tip was visible.

One chi in the sky, three zhang buried in the earth.

The Dao was in the Central Domain!

At the center of the Dao, a mysterious gate opened, and a person stood there.

Around the Dao, all things were swords, bowing down.

Just this glance, and Ai CangSheng's mind flashed back to the uninhibited figure of the spirited white-clothed swordsman when the Ten Venerables first met.

With one sword, he defeated everything within ten li, daring to say:

"Those who bow down shall not be killed."

"Those who look me in the eye shall die."

The Dao was thirty years ago.

The Dao is also today!

When that figure in his mind overlapped with the shadowy image he saw now, forming a single sword, Ai CangSheng saw the "sword" and also his "self."

But Ba ZunAn was no longer the Ba ZunAn of thirty years ago.

Within him contained a ferocious beast, spitting out sword edges, and his outward appearance was smoother than a rock polished by a thousand years by a stream.

He slightly pursed his lips, nodded in greeting, and with an uncontrollable weakness, whispered:

"CangSheng DaDi..."

"Give me face, let him finish the Dead Sea."