Chapter 1755: Retreat Three Times to Respectfully Receive the Master, Legacy Reversal Technique Forbidden Change

A bolt from the blue!

"Demon Ancestor..."

"Yi..."

With just these few words, Xu Xiaoshou could barely suppress the raging storm in his heart.

He had vaguely pieced together earlier that Chongyin must have used someone's power to return to the Sacred Continent.

As a cosmic weakling, he truly couldn't contend with Hua Weiyang, who could leverage the Sacred Continent's power!

He hadn't had time to think deeply then, but now, upon reflection, Chongyin had only resurrected once, and that was in the Divine Remains.

There, the half-saints summoned by the Sacred Order were almost entirely devoured by him to restore his strength.

Among those remaining who caught Chongyin's eye, survived, and were still somewhat connected to the power of the Evil God...

There was only one: Yue Gongli!

Chongyin must have used Yue Gongli to return to the Sacred Continent—Yue Gongli's immediate disappearance upon returning to the continent likely meant he was preparing for this very matter.

However, this alone wouldn't be enough.

The Ancestor God balance, long hidden deep within this continent, would be shattered.

Therefore, Chongyin must have completed an exchange of interests with a certain Ancestor God—even though, during his previous thoughts, this seemed utterly impossible; no Ancestor God should have allowed him to stay.

But he was merely speculating.

What state were the Demon Ancestor, Medicine Ancestor, Ghost Ancestor, and other Ancestor Gods in? What did they lack? What could Chongyin provide?

He knew nothing about any of this.

In any case, Chongyin truly completed the "exchange" and gained the qualification to establish a foothold on the Sacred Continent.

And the entity he allied with, or rather, "pacted" or "contracted" with, was the one he himself just revealed...

The Demon Ancestor!

"The Inverted Pagoda... it really seals the Demon Ancestor?"

Before this probing, Xu Xiaoshou couldn't even be sure if the Inverted Pagoda truly existed, or if the legend of it suppressing Ancestor Gods was true.

Even though he had vaguely seen a similar inverted tower-like structure beneath the Crossroads.

Yet, he also heard that God Yi had searched the Crossroads for twenty or thirty years for the "Sacred Sealing Opportunity," but couldn't find it.

"If all this is true..."

"The Demon Ancestor is in the Inverted Pagoda, and the one suppressing him is the Resentful Buddha, who is also the Sacred Ancestor... No, how is that possible?"

Xu Xiaoshou was startled.

This must have happened at least thirty years ago, right?

Thirty years ago, Bazun An, due to a woman and an unstable Dao Heart, was crippled by Hua Changdeng, who was also a Sword Immortal.

Thirty years ago, the Resentful Buddha, also one of the Ten Greats, became famous and then vanished. Was he already strong enough to suppress the Demon Ancestor back then?

Is this what a natural destiny is?

Is this "no women in the heart, naturally divine with a drawn sword"?

No, he couldn't get sidetracked... Xu Xiaoshou's thoughts boiled, his mind wildly diverging, but he quickly reined in the runaway horse and pulled everything back to the main topic:

"One mountain cannot accommodate two tigers."

"Since the Demon Ancestor is in the Inverted Pagoda, there should absolutely be no presence of the Medicine Ancestor, Ghost Ancestor, or similar figures near Dead Buddha City, or even near the Central Region."

"Then where would they be?"

His Super Dao-Transforming Will Plate was running on overload, yet none of it showed; Xu Xiaoshou had long been able to remain unfazed even if Mount Tai crumbled before him.

Unlike Chongyin, who might have been dazed from sleeping for ten thousand years and couldn't withstand any bluff!

Theoretically, Ancestor Gods radiate across all Five Domains.

Since there's a Demon Ancestor in the Inverted Pagoda, it's normal for no other Ancestor Gods or their inheritances to appear within the Five Domains.

From a broader perspective, the Demon Ancestor, being the Sacred Ancestor, existing on the Sacred Continent is most reasonable.

Other Ancestor Gods should have been forced elsewhere.

"Just as Chongyin could only revive in the Divine Remains, taking advantage of an oversight by Zhan Shenguan Ran Ming, who is outside the Ten Ancestors."

"The Sword Ancestor from the Four Ancestors' Cycle of Reincarnation might be gone, and his inheritance, at most, could only be found in the Sword Tower that Liu Fuyu mentioned..."

"The Sword Tower is rumored to also seal a great demon. Is that also the Demon Ancestor? Was the Demon Ancestor split in half? Or is it another Ancestor God?"

"The power of the Dragon Ancestor is unseen in the Five Domains... though there's a Dragon Apricot tree on Void Island. Yet, the Dragon Apricot is planted in the Shennong Medicine Garden, and the Void Island where the Shennong Medicine Garden is located is the Heavenly Ancestor's territory... Hiss!"

This was very complicated.

In this last piece of thought:

The Dragon Ancestor and Heavenly Ancestor were both in the "Four Ancestors' Cycle of Reincarnation." Whether they had perished was unknown, but their condition was certainly the worst.

From this perspective, the Medicine Ancestor, represented by the Shennong Medicine Garden, had the highest vitality, because Sunflower had said he was alive!

"The Shennong Medicine Garden is right inside my Apricot Realm..."

"Damn, was I targeted by the Medicine Ancestor so early on?"

"Medicine Ghost Life and Death... In 'The Thirteen Unspeakables,' these two Ancestors exist simultaneously. The Medicine Ancestor paying attention to me means the Ghost Ancestor must also know me..."

With this thought, after awakening the Bizarre Trick and mastering a Second Awakening skill that seemed capable of subverting the essence of life...

Xu Xiaoshou then belatedly realized who that strange "gaze" he had sensed back then might have come from.

It was either the Medicine Ancestor or the Ghost Ancestor!

"Where are these two?"

At this point, his thoughts halted.

Xu Xiaoshou could no longer think logically.

He could only brainstorm endlessly, generating ideas that might be absurd but could provide him with inspiration, or allow him to better mislead Chongyin, or perhaps provoke Chongyin into flipping the table in anger:

"Dead Buddha City has the Demon Ancestor; does the Demon Ancestor represent death?"

"Life Buddha City is the center for major world associations, including the Alchemist Association headquarters, and the vibrant Heavenly Fire Flat Lake and Blue Flower... Is the Medicine Ancestor there?"

"What about the Ghost Ancestor... Ghost Swordsmanship, Hua Changdeng? Great World Locust, Soul Boiling Northern Locust?"

"No, that's not right either. The power of the Ghost Ancestor, or rather, the power of the God of Death, was first seen on Night Owl. Night Owl was the former head of the Dark Department and Dao Qiongcang's capable subordinate... Is the Ghost Ancestor behind Dao Qiongcang?"

"The power of the God of Death was stolen by the Five Declines of Heaven and Man; are the Five Declines of Heaven and Man also the Ghost Ancestor's contingency plan?"

"The Binding Infant Holy Plant is also secretive. It's either the Ghost Ancestor or Chongyin... Oh, she only ever seemed to interact with these two Ancestors anyway..."

Suspecting the Binding Infant Tree, Xu Xiaoshou also realized how absurd he was being.

Regardless, the Binding Infant's will was erased.

Now she's just a mindless little demoness, easy to cultivate. Even Nine Sacrificial Osmanthus might not be as pure as her!

"Binding Infant..."

The brainstorming didn't stop but shifted.

As his thoughts changed, a flash of inspiration in his mind connected another train of thought that he had previously set aside.

"The Ancestor God Chongyin collaborated with is the Demon Ancestor..."

"Could the only person he could use really be just Yue Gongli?"

Carefully calculating the time the Binding Infant Holy Plant caused trouble in the Dark Life Forest, then extrapolating Chongyin's revival time, Xu Xiaoshou suddenly remembered something!

Before he entered the Divine Remains, Chongyin had been revived for a long time, and then his physical body was smashed by Overlord's strike—these were all preceding events!

And before that, Ai Cangsheng, wielding the Archmage Ancestor's ancient weapon, the Evil Sin Bow, and possessing the Arts Seed 'Imprisonment' which suppressed the power of the Evil God, had also entered the Remains!

He had even entered and exited the Remains before Xu Xiaoshou himself went in...

"Ai Cangsheng!"

"You self-proclaimed Guardian of the Dao!"

Once the scattered thoughts were smoothed out, Xu Xiaoshou understood everything:

Ai Cangsheng entered the Remains, and the Divine Love War, another battle between the Ten Greats spanning thirty years, shocked the Five Domains.

After many people entered to observe the battle, Ai Cangsheng exited the Remains and, under the guise of besieging Xu Xiaoshou, issued a "Sacred Order," inviting all half-saints in the world to the Remains to their deaths.

From beginning to end, did no one profit?

Only the Sacred Continent's destiny suffered losses, and dozens of half-saint positions vanished without a trace?

Chongyin profited!

Everyone, all the power, was completely swallowed by him!

"This is possible?"

Interpreting the Divine Remains from this angle made Xu Xiaoshou break out in a cold sweat. When he looked at the enraged Chongyin before him again...

Wait, how did you manage that?

Chongyin, are you truly that clever?

Dao Qiongcang alone could manipulate you completely... Oh, that flashy old Daoist and himself, they could both resist the guidance.

Others, those who didn't cultivate this path, certainly couldn't, including Ai Cangsheng and God Yi, let alone all the half-saints in the world!

"Did the Demon Ancestor also contract with you?" Staring at Chongyin, Xu Xiaoshou said nothing more, but instead repeated the phrase, returning it to him.

This was actually not good.

While echoing words might not be wrong, their deterrent power was far less impactful than betting everything and hitting the mark.

In reality, Xu Xiaoshou's thinking time was also very short.

But he knew even better that Chongyin was no ordinary being; he wasn't even human. His senses should be incredibly keen.

As expected, the repeated words extinguished Chongyin's rage as if cold water had been poured over him. His three heads tilted up, down, or to the side, and he said coldly:

"Are you bluffing?"

"No, no, no..."

Chongyin answered himself, shaking his heads repeatedly, unsure of what he was denying: "The Demon Ancestor shouldn't, nor could he... There's no connection between the two of you?"

Xu Xiaoshou was completely unaffected by pressure.

Your suspicion indicates that you can't find the answer yourself; that's your foolishness, it has nothing to do with me, and I certainly won't easily give you the answer.

He merely continued talking to himself: "The bald man who knocked you to death with a single strike in the Divine Remains, you remember him, right?"

Chongyin seethed in anger, remaining silent.

Xu Xiaoshou remained poker-faced: "His name is God Yi. He searched for the Inverted Pagoda for thirty years, but he couldn't find it."

"Though my ability to see it is my own skill..." Xu Xiaoshou raised an eyebrow, looking slightly surprised, "how did *you* find it?"

Chongyin snorted, a hint of arrogance on his face.

You get carried away too easily, I haven't even started complimenting you yet... Xu Xiaoshou almost chuckled aloud, but instead, he said with a serious expression: "Oh, you are the Evil God, he is the Demon Ancestor, you two are on the same level..."

The chill around them subtly dissipated.

Chongyin hadn't even begun to smile.

Xu Xiaoshou's tone suddenly shifted, becoming cold: "Whatever level he is, that's the status you should originally hold... But now, you, who are 'two-in-one,' are actually suppressed by someone who can 'only be two.' After coming to the continent, do you still need to be inferior?"

Chongyin's body stiffened abruptly.

Evidently, he understood everything about "two-in-one," "only being two," and "inferiority."

"Then I really have to consider whether you're worth cooperating with me, huh..." Xu Xiaoshou stroked his chin, his tone teasing.

When he saw Chongyin's three eyes become solemn and the atmosphere grow so oppressive it was almost at a breaking point, he let out a soft "Eh?" and changed the subject, seemingly casually uttering two names:

"Yue Gongli, Ai Cangsheng."

Chongyin froze.

The Flower World fell into a brief silence.

Clearly, Chongyin had no idea what kind of madness Xu Xiaoshou was suddenly spouting.

But suddenly, the world shook with a rumble, and the Evil God's power expanded violently.

"What?!" Chongyin was greatly alarmed, swiftly retreating.

No one had spoken at all.

It was merely a belated realization, as if he had been struck on the forehead with a stick, recoiling in fear back into the Void Black Hole.

Seated once more on his divine throne, Chongyin had clearly lost his initial lofty, disdainful posture toward mortals.

All talk of "the ambition of a swan" or "a child like this"...

The tide of offense and defense now seemed to have turned!

"Is it that hard to understand?" Xu Xiaoshou smiled faintly, speaking eloquently:

"You only have so few contingency plans. Dao Qiongcang, not to mention you can't manipulate him, I can't even figure him out."

"So, the only people you could have manipulated, besides Yue Gongli, are Ai Cangsheng—or perhaps both of them are your contingency plans."

"Evil God's power takes priority, after all!"

Xu Xiaoshou extended his index finger. Chongyin swiftly raised his six arms, about to form hand seals, intending to strike after the opponent.

But Xu Xiaoshou wasn't forming a seal, nor had he any intention of doing so.

He merely held up his index finger and gently wagged it at Chongyin, finding it immensely amusing to see him acting as if facing a great enemy:

"Don't be scared, Baby Chongyin."

"I just wanted to say, your judgment isn't very good."

"But this was indeed the best choice under the circumstances; you did your best. It's not your fault I guessed it."

"You're silly, but also kind of cute..."

What was this ant behind him babbling about? Chongyin could no longer hear.

His six arms, six hand seals, were now frozen in the void, utterly awkward.

Releasing them was not an option.

Not releasing them was also not an option.

From the very beginning, he shouldn't have formed those hand seals!

But against someone who knew about his impaired state, even if his actions were overly cautious, ridiculously absurd, and diminished the dignity of an Ancestor God...

Chongyin accepted it!

He suddenly felt an extreme sense of disgust and revulsion.

Cooperation? Win-win? Let them all go to the Ghost Ancestor! He didn't need them!

Chongyin would rather scheme with a tiger, or contract with a demon, than cooperate with such a cunning young man.

The same went for that person called Water Ghost.

He had just revived, his head had just been smashed, and his thoughts were still muddled. But there were many more people in this world who couldn't resist guidance, so there was no need to waste time getting entangled with these fellows.

He could just find more hosts that were easy to manipulate. Their quality might be low, but their sheer numbers would be a decisive victory.

"Youngster, your courage is commendable, and your intelligence is acceptable."

"Since your arts have transformed and your Dao has transcended, yet you have not reached its culmination and still need to exert yourself, I shall grant you a path of profound fortune!"

Chongyin had seen through it, harrumphed and praised Xu Xiaoshou, no longer wallowing in fluctuating emotions.

Setting aside his position, he actually quite admired this youngster, a rarity in ten thousand years, but that didn't mean he wanted to be entangled with Xu Xiaoshou any further.

He didn't want to provoke him for now.

For now, he would hide.

An Ancestor God hiding from a mere youngster like you—that should be enough respect, right?!

"Profound fortune?"

Xu Xiaoshou, however, didn't believe Chongyin could be so kind. He had no intention of engaging him and wanted to continue talking to himself, further manipulating Chongyin.

Abruptly, a warning voice sounded in his ear:

"Beware! Chongyin in the Past!"

In the Past?

"At the side," "on the land"—those he could understand.

But "in the past"—what did that mean?

"Buzz!"

The moment Hua Weiyang's voice fell, Xu Xiaoshou's vision blurred. He was suddenly interrupted by some force, detaching from the Flower World.

He didn't return directly to the Dead Sea; instead, his consciousness plunged into another strange world, watching the Divine Remains from an unmanipulable yet conscious God's-eye view!

Not the Divine Remains of the present.

But of the past, the first layer of the Divine Remains, as seen before Evil God Yi Chongyin unleashed his five arts upon their first meeting!

"Youngster..."

This was clearly a scene from the past.

Chongyin, in his Evil God Yi form, was facing Xu Xiaoshou himself, Dao Qiongcang, and the dying, near-dead, and already dead people within the Life Forbidden Zone... Xu Xiaoshou could see it all, but he couldn't change anything!

Chongyin raised his head.

He could move, he could change things!

He bypassed the established past, gazing into the void, clearly staring directly at Xu Xiaoshou, who was watching the past scene from the present!

"Youngster..."

Evil God Yi sneered, raising two fingers, forming a seal with a flick, his expression unreadable as he said:

"This is a reward for the brave, and also the consequence of using your super Dao-transformed vision on an Ancestor.

A word of advice: if there's a next time, act at your own peril."

"Art..."

The moment the word "Art" entered his ears, Xu Xiaoshou felt himself split into two.

One was his past self, standing in the first layer of the heavens, who heard a series of five arts from Evil God Yi's mouth:

"Art: Rootless Eye of Form."

"Art: Shifting Reality and Illusion."

"Prohibition: Divine Confinement."

"Prohibition: Spirit Sacrificial Sealing."

"Prohibition: Pure Path Sorrowful Wind Art."

It was the simultaneous unleashing of these five arts that made his past self, even in the state of Disappearance Art and Worldly Isolation, unable to hide.

To this day, Xu Xiaoshou still felt lingering fear.

But that wasn't the most crucial part. The key was that Xu Xiaoshou, watching this scene from a God's-eye view high in the sky, heard something entirely different from his past self.

Evil God Yi began to form seals.

Evil God Yi murmured.

He, being in the future, formed seals in the present, sowing them into the past, incredibly managing to forcibly alter causality:

"Art: Reversal of Remains - Forbidden!"