Chapter 1784: When All Living Beings Are Exhausted, This World Is at Peace; When the Puppet Leaves, Great Chaos Descends

What?Were those his original words?How is that not quite what I remember hearing?

Jianren racked his brain, wondering if he had forgotten part of the content mind-stripped from his original self at the time.

But soon he was certain his memory was fine.

This fabricated "original quote" came from Dao Qiongcang, and his purpose was all too clear.

"So, that pompous old Daoist used those words to deceive Ai Cangsheng for thirty years, binding him to the pirate ship of the Holy Temple Hall in the name of protection, using his Eye of the Great Dao and the Sinful Bow?"

"That's not right, is it? He's the Great Emperor Cangsheng; could someone of such immense power really be a love-struck fool, ruining his great future because of a few fabricated words?"

"What's more, among everyone under heaven, if you were to talk about who understood Dao Qiongcang best, Ai Cangsheng might not be first, but he's certainly one who understands him well, right?"

"Whether anyone else knows if that pompous old Daoist's nonsense can be believed, Ai Cangsheng certainly should know, shouldn't he?"

"Is he that foolish?"

Jianren's thoughts were practically boiling, unable to stop.

Ai Cangsheng quietly finished recounting the past events, his emotions showing little change, merely stating:"I know what you're thinking. I'm also quite certain that old Daoist likely used some method to deceive me.""Perhaps, he even outright fabricated a lie..."

And you, you accepted it willingly?

Jianren watched Ai Cangsheng stop speaking and nearly materialized his true form, wishing he could slap the man awake.

Being someone's dog is acceptable.

But being Dao Qiongcang's dog? Not worth it!

Ai Cangsheng remained as calm as ever: "What he said was a wish Xiao Xiao had expressed before."

These words completely extinguished the anger in Jianren's heart.

Jianren was speechless, and Xu Xiaoshou felt even more powerless.

By now, he fully understood that Ai Cangsheng, despite his name meaning "loving all beings," had only ever loved Lei Xiaoxiao.

His so-called "Guardian of the Dao" title wasn't self-proclaimed; she was the one who bestowed it upon him.

But what else could Ai Cangsheng have done?

Indeed, the Five Domains needed his eyes and abilities; they needed a figure like him who walked between black and white, who obeyed summons but not proclamations.

Before and after him, even if all the members of the Holy Temple Hall, high and low, were granted ten times their courage and the power to slay heaven itself...

Who would dare, and who could, slay Dao Xuanji with three arrows?

Dao Qiongcang merely told a benevolent lie, giving Ai Cangsheng's existence greater meaning.

Because, at the end of his cultivation path, if it were possible, perhaps he could even revive Lei Xiaoxiao?

—Even the Gods were within his reach!

Therefore, Ai Cangsheng understood all of this clearly.

His choice wasn't due to falling into Dao Qiongcang's open scheme, but a willing descent.

"Sigh..."

Xu Xiaoshou let out a long sigh, unable to offer a judgment.

He suddenly wondered if, in a world of illusions where everyone in the Five Domains could have their wishes granted, then perhaps the bloody reality itself was a massive deception?

Looking at it that way...

If Ai Cangsheng truly succeeded in his "Void Ancestor Transformation," then from the Holy Emperors at the top, to the Ten Honored Ones in the middle, down to the Half-Saints at the bottom, all would be taken away by a single arrow from the Sinful Bow, setting the Five Domains back tens of thousands of years.

Even if the Demon Ancestor, Sui Yin, the God of Death, and others had any hidden schemes, wouldn't they all be delayed by tens of thousands of years, awaiting the emergence of another generation of prodigies?

Then Ai Cangsheng's thoughts at that time truly weren't wishful thinking; they were yet another genuine act of protection, protecting for Lei Xiaoxiao.

Sacrificing the Seed of Art, taking away the Supremes, and granting peace to the Five Domains!

"In this world without me, all shall enjoy peace..."

Only at this moment did Xu Xiaoshou truly grasp the profound meaning behind Ai Cangsheng's words.

And he understood how terrifyingly firm the Dao Heart of someone who could make such a resolution, possess such strength, and genuinely wish to act upon it, truly was.

His Dao Heart was named "Lei Xiaoxiao."

Shen Yi is a true man, and you, Ai Cangsheng, are too... Xu Xiaoshou felt inferior, once again regretting calling him a "dog lover."

Ai Cangsheng stopped his story.

He didn't demand anything from Xu Xiaoshou in exchange, nor did he force him to do anything in the future.

In fact, at this point, Xu Xiaoshou knew the most rational thing to do was to quit while he was ahead and let Jianren leave.

He could completely choose to forget everything that happened here once he returned.

Regardless of whether Ai Cangsheng's words were true or false, whether the Ancient Battle God's Platform held a hidden move, or if the Eye of the Great Dao concealed a sinister trick...

If you make a move, I won't respond.

This was the best way to solve the problem.

But the more Ai Cangsheng acted this way, the more Xu Xiaoshou felt it was unfair to him; looking at the man's entire life, he had no flaws other than regret.

He only killed those who deserved to die.

His targeting of Shen Yi was merely due to differing stances.

Perhaps he turned a blind eye to the destruction of the Lei family, which only further proved his selflessness; how else could he demonstrate "fairness"?

But was he truly selfless?

It was also Ai Cangsheng himself who personally shot Dao Xuanji down from her pedestal, destroying all her beautiful dreams.

Must such a person, even in death, carry Dao Qiongcang's lie with him?

"I..."

Jianren opened his mouth.

He admitted he had somewhat overstepped.

But he could sense his true self's inner voice in an instant, so he stopped himself from speaking further.

"Should I say it?"

Xu Xiaoshou asked himself, but couldn't find a perfect answer.

He didn't know whether to tell Ai Cangsheng about Lei Xiaoxiao's strong will, which he had stripped using his mind-stripping ability.

That was an answer completely opposite to what Dao Qiongcang had said...

One was to make him truly embody "loving all beings," the other was to make him love himself.

One was for him to actively love, the other was for him to feel loved.

"I can't say it!"

The impact would be too great.

And it would be an influence on the past.

Who knows, if Ai Cangsheng heard it, he might get excited, burst forth with power, directly achieve Nine-Stage Enlightenment, or even forcefully ascend to godhood and become an Ancestor!

If that happened, how would he fight next?

He'd be fighting with his life!

"If Ai Cangsheng's actions were to change because of a single word from me, the entire landscape of the Five Domains might be rewritten."

"The butterfly effect... The changes in cause and effect across the Five Domains would all hinge on my single word. The retribution would be too severe; how could I say it?"

Perhaps as soon as I said it, the world would explode, and my future self would disintegrate on the spot, having been blown apart during the battle?

But the more he told himself not to!

The more Xu Xiaoshou told himself he couldn't say it, the more he wanted to!

"What am I afraid of?"

"How could I possibly be blown apart?"

"I still haven't activated my Berserk Golden Body!"

Ancient sword cultivators truly were stubborn. Xu Xiaoshou asked heaven, asked earth, and asked himself, finally arriving at the conclusion:"Do I really want to become Dao Qiongcang?"

Transcending the Dao is easy, but truly understanding oneself is difficult.

At that instant, Xu Xiaoshou realized once again.

He was no longer the Xu Xiaoshou from Tiansang Spirit Palace; his current self had choices.

And the culmination of his cultivation path, it seemed, wasn't to become one of the Ten Honored Ones, much less to ascend to godhood and become an Ancestor.

He didn't want to merely wallow in the mire with these people.

Ba had shortcomings, Cao was restricted, Shen was weary, Gou was trapped, Dao had pursuits...

The Ten Ancestors, all constrained by the Ancestral God's Fate, with no Ancestor truly able to transcend.

Xu Xiaoshou didn't want to become like them.

He wanted to transcend!

To surpass the Ten Honored Ones, to transcend the shackles of the Ancestral God's Fate!

"If I harbored fear, even the fear of a single word, then the gods and Buddhas before my eyes could become my past self, and a future calamity; in this life, I would never advance an inch."

His state of mind became clear.

In that instant, Daoic charm surged around Xu Xiaoshou, and he felt a distant resonance.

With just a thought, he could summon the Saint Calamity, transcend the tribulation to become a Saint, or even a Holy Emperor!

—How could he possibly become a Saint at this moment?

Even if he could rush for Holy Emperor, he still carried the Ancestral God's Fate.

This path, too, wasn't prepared for him; it was merely a fallback, a retreat.

"Hoo..."

Xu Xiaoshou let out a long breath.

Jianren then clarified his true intention. As his mind connected with Ai Cangsheng, just as he was about to speak, the latter spoke first:"You should leave."

Xu Xiaoshou paused, but did not leave.

The two stood separated by void and space-time; the Eye of the Great Dao was in the past, and sincere words were in the future. Their gazes could not meet, and their wills stirred with ripples.

Xu Xiaoshou said: "Do you want to hear it?"

Ai Cangsheng closed his eyes deeply, his eyelids trembling slightly.

For him, how could Xu Xiaoshou's question even be considered a question?

Ever since Xu Xiaoshou had just returned from the God's Remains.

When the Eye of the Great Dao peered through his Transcendental Dao Transformation on the Dao he cared about, Ai Cangsheng had wanted to ask.

It was just that their stances differed, so he couldn't ask.

Now, Xu Xiaoshou was the past Xu Xiaoshou, and the person before him was from the future. The Five Domains' stance was unknown, so setting aside public matters, they would only discuss private ones.

Ai Cangsheng wanted to hear it, desperately wanted to hear it, incredibly much!

In this world, only he and Dao Qiongcang possessed the ability to hear the residual will of Lei Xiaoxiao.

Even if it came from their mouths and turned into another lie, Ai Cangsheng had willingly accepted it thirty years ago, and thirty years later, he was still eagerly pursuing it:

"I've longed for it day and night."

Xu Xiaoshou's spirit was shaken.

He had thought Lei Xiaoxiao was merely a regrettable past for Ai Cangsheng, but he never imagined that Ai Cangsheng's entire life revolved around Lei Xiaoxiao.

He discovered that all the Ten Honored Ones, except for Dao Qiongcang and Bei Huai, seemed to have fatal flaws.

As long as one grasped it, as long as one put aside their pride.

Striking hard at these weak points, even if they could all achieve Nine-Stage Enlightenment, the outcome would undoubtedly still be a crushing defeat.

Just like now, if he were to use the Will Dao Compass as guidance, transform vitality with Bizarre Tricks, and deceive others with his Painting Mastery...

If I were to conjure an imitation of Lei Xiaoxiao.

She wouldn't even need to be lifelike.

Would Ai Cangsheng be able to lay a hand on her?

Xu Xiaoshou, whose thoughts were rather "dirty," did not do so. He was merely a young man in his twenties forced to mature, and he still believed in beautiful love:

"My answer is completely opposite to Dao Qiongcang's, and it could entirely reverse your will."

As powerful as the Great Emperor Cangsheng was, he now seemed to be treading on thin ice.

His telepathic message showed no tremor, yet a hint of hope, yearning, and hidden timidity could be discerned within it.

Was he afraid my answer would be a bad one?

Xu Xiaoshou found it amusing, but he couldn't be bothered to string him along; he wasn't Dao Qiongcang, nor did he want to become him.

He and Dao Qiongcang were equally adept at scheming, but the most fundamental difference was that the other was called 'Dao Dog,' while he was known in the jianghu as 'Grandpa Shou!'

"I have a technique called 'Mind Stripping,' which can strip away a person's inner voice. When I probed you at that time, I unexpectedly intercepted a wisp of will—a female voice."

"I don't know who she was, but her original words were like this."

At this point, Xu Xiaoshou's voice vanished.

Ai Cangsheng's pupils dilated violently. In his ears, he heard the latter half of that voice he had yearned for day and night, which had permeated half his life, yet remained unheard.

It carried helplessness, it carried pain, but even more, it carried a desperate plea, an entreaty.

What was said was not grand, only a blessing, a tiny blessing:

"Live on... for me..."

"Just be well... that's all I ask..."

Boom!

A tearing pain exploded in his mind.

For a brief moment, Xu Xiaoshou felt completely drained of all his strength, utterly exhausted, before he crashed to the ground with a thud.

Dying...

The feeling of dying...

Was the Undying Golden Body truly going to be activated? What happened in the past, after he finished speaking?

"Damn!"

Xu Xiaoshou regretted it.

He shouldn't have said it; he realized something bad had happened.

Ai Cangsheng must have had a burst of power. If that guy's will to live truly surged because of Lei Xiaoxiao's words, his first kill would definitely be him!

"No, the first kill would be Jianren..."

When the brief pain subsided, Xu Xiaoshou noticed he couldn't contact Jianren anymore.

Either he was shattered by one of Ai Cangsheng's arrows.

Or, after revealing Lei Xiaoxiao's words, he met with an accident on his way back to the future, dying suddenly while crossing the river.

"What about me?"

Xu Xiaoshou panicked, wiggling his hands and kicking his legs.

His perception scanned his entire body, fearing that irreparable holes had opened up somewhere, or that one of his limbs was missing.

—Completely unharmed!

He checked himself from head to toe, inside and out.

Aside from the pain of losing Jianren just now, and being nearly struck dead by karma or time for revealing the secrets, almost forcing out his Undying Golden Body...

After resisting the backlash, he was fine.

All his passive abilities functioned normally, and his strength slowly recovered.

Ai Cangsheng didn't seem to have overacted against him. After hearing Lei Xiaoxiao's words, did his choice during the battle remain the same as the one he made in the river of history?

In fact, the influence of a single sentence was minimal and couldn't change history?

Xu Xiaoshou didn't know the reason. Speculating about the past wouldn't change the future anyway, so he could only focus his attention back on the present:

"What about the Five Domains?"

To know if Ai Cangsheng had changed his method of attack, the best way was to trace the battle process from the battle marks.

When Xu Xiaoshou had previously teased Ai Cangsheng on Mount Guizhe, he had used the God's Remains to travel through the Five Domains countless times under Ai Cangsheng's sword, leaving countless imprints.

At that moment, as the Spatial Dao Compass unfurled and the Will Dao Compass connected, the important battlefields across the Five Domains came into view.

The battle marks in all the visible areas were exactly the same as before.

This meant that from beginning to end, Ai Cangsheng's fighting style had not changed.

Just as he didn't change his original intention based on Dao Qiongcang's lie, he also didn't alter his actions based on Xu Xiaoshou's truth.

—He had failed his Void Ancestor Transformation, his form and spirit utterly destroyed, and even his consciousness was about to be taken over by Sui Yin!

Xu Xiaoshou rarely felt admiration for an opponent at the very end of a major battle, but at this moment, he couldn't help but exclaim:

"Ai Cangsheng, what a true man!"

Admiration aside.

With the battle proceeding this way, the outcome was already decided.

Their stances differed, and he couldn't sacrifice anything more for Ai Cangsheng. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't save him.

Even if he could save him, given Ai Cangsheng's nature, whether he would be an enemy or a friend was still uncertain.

"Sui Yin!"

He still held the Sui Yin puppet in his hand.

His attention, however, was fixed on the Guishi Tomb in the Southern Domain.

Although the communication with the past hadn't lasted long, at this very moment, the Technique Hound he had conjured to perform the Spirit Devouring Art at that time had already been summoned by Sui Yin.

And the Technique Hound opened its mouth and spat out all of Ai Cangsheng's remnant consciousness.

Part of Sui Yin!

But the most crucial thing was the Sui Yin puppet in his hand; what Ai Cangsheng had sealed inside was the bulk—more of Sui Yin's consciousness!

"The later you tear it, the better."

Recalling Ai Cangsheng's past words, Xu Xiaoshou no longer hesitated. Fearing that this thing might be actively broken open by Sui Yin, he beckoned and summoned Feng Yujin.

"Seal it!"

He barked: "You are a Holy Emperor! You are the strongest sealed body of this era, possessing the most potent sealing power! Use all your strength to seal this thing!"

Feng Yujin, brought here by Shen Bailiu, was momentarily bewildered, but he knew the situation was urgent:

"Divine Sealing Coffin!"

With a spiritual technique that drained all his sealing power, he slapped it down, and the cloth doll was swiftly placed inside a small coffin.

Still not understanding, Feng Yujin asked while acting: "What is this thing?"

"A cloth doll."

'How could this Emperor not know it's a cloth doll? I'm asking what exactly is inside that needs to be sealed...' Feng Yujin's face was grim. After all, he was a Holy Emperor; he couldn't just seal something without knowing what it was. "What about inside the cloth doll?" he pressed.

"Sui Yin."

Feng Yujin's movements stiffened.

Without turning his head, Xu Xiaoshou looked towards the Southern Domain: "The one you humbled yourself before, knelt and begged for mercy in the Ranming Divine Court—it's still not too late to surrender now. He's looking for a big henchman."

The majestic Fengtian Holy Emperor now broke into a cold sweat, trembling and daring not to respond directly:

"Then where... where should I go? Back to the God's Remains?"

"Go back to hell! You might already be guided now; Sui Yin is practically desperate to find the God's Remains!"

'That's not what I meant, I really wasn't trying to lead him there...' Feng Yujin's face turned green, Xu Xiaoshou's words piercing his heart like needles.

"Then where should I go?" Feng Yujin could only ask, not daring to retort.

Xu Xiaoshou thought for a moment, his expression dimming, and said in a deep voice:"Go to the Southern Nether."

The Fengtian Holy Emperor's days on the inner island of Void Island had not been easy; he was exceptionally skilled at reading people.

At this moment, he kept his eyes downcast, not daring to ask another word, and rushed towards the Southern Nether with the cloth doll:

"As long as I live, the doll lives; if I die, the doll dies!"

"Xu Xiaoshou, do not underestimate this Emperor!"

A single step from a Holy Emperor spanned an entire domain.

In just a blink of an eye, Feng Yujin arrived above the Southern Nether.

Looking at the surging sea, he didn't even think, and was about to plunge into its depths.

Just then...

"Ugh!"

Feng Yujin's body stiffened.

The hand holding the cloth doll involuntarily loosened.

His entire body, slightly weakened from exerting too much force just now, unnaturally curled up.

He finally crashed onto the sea surface with a thud.

Facing the splashing water and the fleeing sea beasts, Feng Yujin, the Fengtian Holy Emperor, knelt with both hands raised high, and exclaimed:

"G-Great God Descent Art!"