Chapter 1770: Dead Forbidden Technique Desperate Battle, Please Invoke the Evil Spirit Descent Technique Seed to Surpass

If Ai Cangsheng truly coveted the Ancestral Realm, why would he have remained stagnant, merely observing the celestial changes for thirty years?

"Rustle..."

Sand blew swiftly past his feet.

Ai Cangsheng's expression remained calm, as if everything seen by his Great Dao Eye were merely a dreamlike illusion.

Su Yin's words, capable of tempting anyone else in the world, couldn't sway his Dao Heart in the slightest.

In this desolate place.

Without hesitation, after listening to Su Yin's deceptive words, Ai Cangsheng slowly pulled a palm-sized cloth doll from his robe.

It was an exquisitely crafted cloth doll, dressed in a long black dress, with a flower pinned in its hair. Its eyes curved like two crescent moons, making it exceptionally adorable.

"Xiao Xiao..."

"Sleep for a while, rest for a moment. I must face the battle now."

Holding the cloth doll in one hand, Ai Cangsheng's expression showed no hint of attachment.

He bit his tongue, coughing up a drop of black blood. Then, with two fingers, he guided it onto the doll's forehead.

"Ai Cangsheng!"

In the scene observed by his Great Dao Eye, inside the cave, the humanoid Su Yin saw the doll. Its three eyes narrowed, and its tone became extremely hostile.

"As long as a breath remains, Su Yin is immortal!" it snarled. "You should understand this truth: no matter how you seal it, Su Yin is eternal. And you..."

"Without Su Yin's help, you are doomed to lose this battle."

It seemed to want to say more.

The humanoid Su Yin seemed to have also developed a rambling habit.

Ai Cangsheng's left earlobe suddenly turned black, as if a piece of his soul had been severed, never to recover.

"Soul Transference Art: Concentration."

He pointed a finger, and his thoughts wavered.

Inside him, it felt as if something had flowed away, and even half of the scene observed by his Great Dao Eye—

—that cave world—began to slowly spin and crumble.

It was then sucked away by an invisible vortex, slowly flowing into the drop of black blood on the doll's forehead.

"Ai... Cang... Sheng..."

Inside the cave, the humanoid Su Yin was also vanishing.

However, compared to the vanishing cave scene, its departure was exceptionally stubborn and resistant:

"Xu Shu's Dao has also transcended. Your meager power will struggle to keep pace with his changes, let alone his sword..."

"Noisy."

Ai Cangsheng, too lazy to say more, wiped his thumb across the doll's brow.

The black blood disappeared into the doll, and Su Yin's clamorous voice vanished with it.

Finally, the world fell silent.

"Buzz!"

The space subtly rippled. Ai Cangsheng turned his gaze to see Xu Xiaoshou stepping forward.

Before he even moved, Ai Cangsheng saw an Art Eye condense above Xu Xiaoshou's head—the "Gouye Eye"—visible only to the Great Dao Eye, and formed only after being afflicted by Su Yin's profound techniques.

Moreover, around him lingered a state-maintaining art, constantly twisting and suppressing Dao principles—the "Legacy Reversal."

These two peak arts, derived from the "Art Dao," naturally carried lingering traces of Su Yin and undoubtedly contained Su Yin's power.

"Eerie—" A chilling, eerie sound rang out. Ai Cangsheng's Great Dao Eye blurred, and when he looked again, he saw an illusory, three-headed, six-armed afterimage behind Xu Xiaoshou—Su Yin!

"Ai... Cang... Sheng..."

Su Yin, difficult to seal, impossible to restrain, immortal and imperishable.

It truly was omnipresent, manifesting everywhere!

It sneered.

Although the afterimage was very faint, Su Yin, with six arms spread wide, laughed heartily.

What outsiders couldn't see or hear, Ai Cangsheng perceived with exceptional clarity.

Of Su Yin's three evil heads, only the central one seemed to be forced into slumber. The left and right heads shook with high spirits, speaking one after another in a confident tone:

"Ai Cangsheng, you are mine."

"What I desire, I shall obtain; there is no escape, you cannot flee... No escape, even with wings!"

"Ai-dog, you only run? You can't fly even with wings!"

Xu Xiaoshou entered, laughing heartily, accompanied by the Dao-Propagation Mirror and the attention of the world's five domains.

The first thing he noticed was the change in Ai Cangsheng's earlobe.

Black?

It was a minor detail. Aside from the unlikely possibility of him suddenly coming to the Eastern Domain for a tattoo, it was probable that Ai Cangsheng had sacrificed a portion of his soul in exchange for some... advantage?

"Why is this so strange?"

"After Emperor Cangsheng faked his death to escape, not only did his spirit not flag, but he also gave me the strange feeling that he had shed a burden and truly stood up?"

Even Drunken Wind noticed the anomaly, indicating a considerable change.

The changes in his aura... Xu Xiaoshou pondered. If the earlier Ai Cangsheng, even with the Art Seed Restriction unsealed, was still surrounded by evil god power.

When he was in the Southern Domain, he merely exuded a sinister aura.

It wasn't as if Ai Cangsheng stood there; it was more like Su Yin.

Or perhaps Ai Cangsheng had been afflicted by the Profound Su Yin Body Art, controlled by Su Yin, who was riding on his neck in the Southern Domain.

Now, with the black earlobe...

Behind Ai Cangsheng, the grayish gloom of the Divine Remains was gone. His Great Dao Eye, reflecting directly into his heart, was exceptionally clear.

"Fight!"

What Xu Xiaoshou saw in his eyes was a fiery and surging battle intent.

It was as if the true battle had only just begun at this moment.

Thought Deprivation was still active.

Noises emanated from all surrounding spirits, but not a single sound originated from Ai Cangsheng's heart!

This person, who appeared to be a taciturn, quiet individual, was essentially just that—not even harboring internal complaints?

"Emperor Cangsheng, keep running, running—where can you possibly go?"

Having left the Dead Sea, Xu Xiaoshou could effortlessly conjure two grand ice-fire orbs. He then spoke with unhurried ease:

"I'm not afraid to tell you, my Dao of Arts has inherited Su Yin's true legacy, already reaching the realm of transcendence."

"Your Substitute Death Reincarnation Art, before me, isn't just failing to hide its head and tail; it's practically exposing everything!"

This was truly no idle boast.

Perhaps creating the Substitute Death Reincarnation Art from scratch was difficult, but Xu Xiaoshou, by simply observing how Ai Cangsheng escaped, could discern his art and then trace his whereabouts from its residual traces.

As he spoke, he glanced at the cloth doll Ai Cangsheng had curled in his palm, attempting to hide it. Xu Xiaoshou's lips curved into a smirk, and he said playfully:

"Like this?"

Although he lacked the Great Dao Eye, Xu Xiaoshou's various Dao Charts were truly remarkable.

At first glance, it appeared to be a little girl's creation. Could it be a gift from Lei Xiaoxiao?

Look at the vitality!

Looking at it through the lens of Life's Mysteries, the cloth doll astonishingly resembled a living being. Its internal power was so immense, it was not even inferior to Elder Yu before his ascension to Emperor!

"What is this?"

The aura hidden within felt vaguely familiar, as if he had encountered it before...

Su Yin?

Su Yin puppet?

Was this Ai Cangsheng's trump card?

"Wait!"

Xu Xiaoshou's pupils widened. His thoughts suddenly flashed back to the many things he had deduced from his encounter with Su Yin in the Flower World.

Su Yin had not only cooperated with the Demonic Ancestor in the Inverted Buddha Pagoda.

It must have used some method to return to the Sacred God Continent. Now, it seemed this "method" wasn't Yue Gongli, but... Ai Cangsheng?

"Apologies, I handled some private matters..."

Ai Cangsheng, ever taciturn, said no more. He then made the Su Yin puppet in his hand vanish.

His aura drastically changed, like an inflating balloon that, upon reaching its limit, burst without hesitation.

"Forbidden Art Seed Restriction, Second Stage Unsealed!"

"Forbidden Art Seed Restriction, Third Stage Unsealed!"

With a deafening roar, thousands of miles of empty space and land were instantly engulfed by the boundless Su Yin aura.

This aura, named Su Yin, contained no trace of Su Yin's original activity; it was purely an expression of Ai Cangsheng's own will.

"A devil..."

"This is a devil!"

Wicked winds howled fiercely. Drunken Wind hadn't expected the battle's pace to accelerate so rapidly, immediately surging into a climax.

The Dao-Propagation Mirror, currently locked onto Lord Shou, zoomed in on the battlefield from his perspective.

As Emperor Cangsheng unsealed his power without restraint...

The utterly explosive power, with devastating force, obliterated the surrounding mountain ranges, forests, and even half of the nearest city.

"All dead!"

The Ancient War God Platform once again activated instantly. While the transformations around Ai Cangsheng persisted, all living beings who had perished under that surging power suddenly reformed.

"All alive again!"

The city and the spirit refiners were revived within the unsealed range of the Art Seed Restriction, yet they were not forced to experience death repeatedly in a fate worse than death.

The Ancient War God Platform's self-will, as strong as Xu Xiaoshou had predicted, seemed to detect that the power was of a "continuous type"...

All living beings around the battlefield were phased out of the combat, now hovering on the periphery of the fierce fighting.

"Ah?" Drunken Wind analyzed the situation, then exclaimed in surprise, "It can do that?"

Realizing they could watch the battle up close by merely dying once, the people of the Eastern Domain rushed desperately towards the main battlefield.

At this moment, spirit refiners across the other four domains, watching via the Dao-Propagation Mirror, grew somewhat envious.

They, too, wished to observe the battle directly.

In reality, however, most people's spiritual senses couldn't even encompass the entire main battlefield, and even getting closer wouldn't offer the clarity of the Dao-Propagation Mirror's analysis.

"Let us quietly observe the changes, everyone," Drunken Wind said with a worried tone, aware of the five domains' thoughts. "In my opinion, this grand display might just be a... beginning?"

No sooner had he spoken!

In the center of the battlefield, Ai Cangsheng's expression was resolute. Having completed two shouts, he still didn't stop, instead forming another hand seal:

"Forbidden Art Seed Restriction, Fourth Stage Unsealed!"

A sound like fracturing Dao principles erupted. Around Ai Cangsheng, countless taut, trembling Dao chains of binding instantly appeared. Then, with a flick, the chains shattered completely.

"Boom!"

The power unleashed in that instant, capable of tearing apart half a realm, stirred up furious gales and raging tempests.

All living beings protected by the Ancient War God Platform were flung out of the battlefield as if struck by an immense force.

Starting from Ai Cangsheng, the dense, viscous Su Yin aura spread outwards, almost filling an entire realm.

"Lord Shou, everyone, keep your distance!"

This madness was utterly exhilarating. Drunken Wind could hardly describe his current feelings; a mere human body, with just a release of power...

...it could, in sheer form alone, almost fill an entire realm!

If a true battle commenced, couldn't a casual slap annihilate all living beings in an entire realm?

"No wonder Emperor Cangsheng insisted on involving the Ancient War God Platform..."

"The Sacred God Continent truly limited this Emperor's full potential!"

After executing his move, Ai Cangsheng stood motionless in the center of a black hole filled with twisting, repulsive forces.

His hand seal did not dissipate. His state was truly heart-stopping.

"No way?" Drunken Wind's pupils widened as something suddenly occurred to him.

No sooner had his murmur ceased than a universal declaration resonated from the battlefield:

"Forbidden Art Seed Restriction, Fifth Stage Unsealed!"

The evil god power of an entire realm no longer burst outwards; instead, it rapidly flowed into Emperor Cangsheng's body.

Astonishingly, not a single trace of it spilled out!

This scene made the hearts of everyone in the five domains skip a beat. Xu Xiaoshou, standing far above the sea, felt his pupils tremble.

Such immense power—you can release it at will, but also retract it at will?

"Wait..."

"Wait!"

Drunken Wind shrieked, because the Dao-Propagation Mirror showed that Emperor Cangsheng still hadn't stopped?

His hand seal remained at his chest, his gaze unwavering, even as his figure and face were visibly distorted in the mirror by the unseen, terrifying force.

His voice, resolute as iron, remained as indifferent as ever.

"Forbidden Art Seed Restriction, Sixth Stage Unsealed!"

"Woo—" A grand yet low wailing sound, like a horn from an ancient battlefield, suddenly echoed through heaven and earth.

The Eastern Domain Sword God Heaven, all one hundred and eight realms within it, simultaneously produced this sound, accompanied by strange phenomena.

The sky, originally a dim yellow, seemed to plunge into dark night in an instant. Black clouds gathered densely, as if countless black-armored heavenly soldiers had been summoned from above the clouds, packed tightly like grains, arrayed in formation, standing in the void, obscuring the entire domain's firmament.

Looking up from the Heavenly Mulberry Spirit Palace, the sky was black. Looking up from the Eastern Heavenly King City, the sky was black. Looking up from anywhere in the Eastern Domain's one hundred and eight realms, the sky was utterly black!

"My heavens..." Drunken Wind's scalp tingled, and he felt his Dao Heart begin to waver.

What was the Spirit Refining Era? What was the ultimate end of the Ancient Sword Dao?

Emperor Cangsheng, at this moment, delivered the most perfect answer. This surge of power he unleashed—even though it was merely a power release—was something even the second realm of any ancient sword art could hardly achieve.

In Ancient Sword Dao, to achieve such an effect, one would have to open the Profound Gate of the Sword, instantly reaching the realm of a Saint Emperor or even an Ancestral God! Was there no way? Then there was simply no way!

Compared to these outsiders watching through the Dao-Propagation Mirror, the Eastern Domain spirit refiners' experience was even more profound.

The last time such phenomena spread across the entire domain was due to the Demonic Emperor Black Dragon, but that time, the Black Dragon's illusory shadow merely flashed by, almost like a trick of the light.

This time, however, it was no illusion!

The oppressive sensation, like being stared at by Death itself; the crushing weight, as if bearing ten thousand tons on one's shoulders; the eerie, pervasive feeling clinging to one's nostrils and permeating one's entire being...

"Clang, clang—" The four sky-supporting totems of the Ancient War God Platform, which had previously been virtualized and scattered across the four corners of the five domains, suddenly materialized, swaying precariously.

The heavy clanging of the massive silver chains connecting the four totem pillars made everyone even more terrified.

It gave a sense that the very heavens were about to collapse!

If even the Ancient War God Platform couldn't withstand the power unleashed after Emperor Cangsheng unsealed his Art Seed Restriction, would all living beings in the Eastern Domain Sword God Heaven be instantly annihilated?

No one had an answer. No one dared to deeply ponder that question.

Because at this very moment, Emperor Cangsheng's hand seal repeated; his ten fingers intertwined, only the tips of his index fingers touching, pressing into his brow.

Blood splattered. The hearts of all five domains seized.

But from within the vast heavens, the sound of surging killing intent resonated repeatedly:

"Su Descent!"

"Boom—" The sound of the Earth's Heart, too, gravely diminished.

Wild winds howled. The dense black clouds across the entire domain suddenly collapsed inwards, and a demonic purple eye consequently split open on Ai Cangsheng's forehead.

"Gurgle!" The eyeball seemed to roll from top to bottom, from inside out. Very abruptly, within that purple Su Yin eye, the eyeball rolled, revealing the pupil, yet it contained not a shred of vitality.

"Death-Aspect Su Yin Eye."

"Death-Aspect Su Yin Body."

"Death-Aspect Su Yin Form."

Ai Cangsheng uttered three phrases, his three voices overlapping.

As his words faded, the skin exposed beyond his clothing revealed purple Dao patterns, imbued with terrifying power, rising from deep within him.

The Dao patterns covered his entire body, inscribing themselves into his spirit and flesh, and carving into the very marrow of his will.

When his entire body was covered with dense, crisscrossing runes,

With a *snap*, two illusory fleshy growths split open on either side of Ai Cangsheng's neck. As blood burst forth, two heads, each bearing only Su Yin's eyes and no other facial features, grew from them.

His lower back also swelled with flesh, which soon tore through his clothing, extending four long, slender Su Yin arms.

"Su-transformation?"

"No, Su Yin itself!"

The crucial distinction was that, unlike possession by Su Yin, Ai Cangsheng clearly maintained his sanity.

His "Eye," "Body," and "Form" were all under his control. In contrast, when spirit refiners in the Southern Domain of Sin summoned Su Yin or its power, they were entirely controlled by Su Yin's malevolent will.

Ai Cangsheng summoned Su Yin, and *commanded* Su Yin!

"Hmph..." With just a raised gaze and an exhalation, the space, Dao principles, and black holes before Ai Cangsheng's lips eroded as if by cracking ice.

The sheer quality and quantity of evil god power contained within that single exhalation of turbid breath were no less potent than his previous Evil God Arrow!

"Ah?" Even through the Dao-Propagation Mirror, Drunken Wind felt as if he might be suffocated by that single exhalation.

He knew the Ten Venerates were powerful; he just hadn't known they could be *this* powerful.

All three Emperors—Elder Yan and Unhinged—had been defeated by Lord Shou, both indirectly and directly. Only Emperor Cangsheng...

This, was truly an Emperor!

"Xu Xiaoshou, it's still the same old saying..."

The Su-patterned Ai Cangsheng flipped his Evil Sin Bow. His Su-form, with its two heads and four arms, was wantonly arrogant, a stark contrast to his serene self.

He gazed intently, his Great Dao Eye seemingly dyed purple. His voice was ethereal and overlapping, evil and Su-like, like demonic music piercing the ears and making one's heart tremble. Yet, none of it could suppress the indifferent human nature that still stood as steady as a sacred mountain:

"Those who step over my bones shall achieve the Dao; those who do not, shall die."