Chapter 1902: Humiliation

Chapter 1903: Composed

"Is this all of Master Shou's power?"

"I'm crazy, I'm really crazy. I was just thinking what profound meaning the banana falling down had, but it was... eggplant! Ahaha, eggplant!"

"Purely playing around? Xu Xiaoshou really has no regard for anyone! If I were Hua Changdeng, how could I tolerate this? I'd have to chop him down."

"Wait, what's the connection between bananas and eggplants? Aren't they different species? I don't understand."

"...What the heck is eggplant! Get lost!"

The Five Domains completely exploded.

Everyone was waiting for Master Shou's legend of the Sword Ancestor, after all, he was at that height, so knowing some secrets was normal.

Who would have thought that nothing good would come out of his mouth, even facing Hua Changdeng, Master Shou was still that infuriating person.

If he didn't act like an ass in front of others, he would itch unbearably!

"Look, Hua Changdeng's face is purple."

"So the correct answer is, after the banana fell downstairs, it turned into Hua Qiezi!"

Under everyone's watchful eyes, after Master Shou's joke, which had taken thirty thousand years to make, even a Saint Emperor, with his cultivation of calmness, easily lost his composure.

Hua Changdeng almost immediately dropped Ba Zun'an, his opponent, after regaining his composure.

When he looked at the young man opposite him, the rage blazing in his eyes could almost burn the entire Lingyu Mountain.

"Yi Gui!"

A red character ghost talisman lit up on his forehead, reflecting Hua Changdeng's slightly reddened eyes, giving the impression of a beast gone mad.

A transparent, ethereal sword slowly emerged from his forehead, with a ferocious sword momentum.

Lingyu Mountain was enveloped in wind and snow, and then with a loud boom, ripples spread across the sky, causing even those watching from around the mountain to feel as if their spirits were about to shatter.

Yi Gui, the sword is drawn!

In the blink of an eye, it broke through all laws, directly piercing towards Master Shou's forehead!

"Hua Changdeng lost control?"

Amidst the exclamations of the crowd, Xiao Kongtong's eyes were also filled with disbelief.

He was one of the few present who had personally experienced the power of Yi Gui. At that time, he had taken the initiative to attack, and Hua Changdeng had been on passive defense.

And even with just passive sword drawing, no matter how hard Xiao Kongtong tried, he couldn't resist three slashes from Yi Gui.

Xu Xiaoshou just told a story...

Hua Changdeng went mad enough to drop Ba Zun'an and drew his sword?

"Guidance?"

All impossible coincidences could be attributed to guidance.

Xiao Kongtong even looked around, searching for whether Tianren Wushuai was present, or if the current anomaly had signs of Xueshi Zhu's power.

But then he remembered that the discussions of the people around him had just stopped, and Tianren Wushuai was at the crossroads.

Even if he could use avatars, Xueshi Zhu was not a Half-Saint rank, it only had one.

No matter how arrogant Tianren Wushuai was, he wouldn't be foolish enough to bring Xueshi Zhu to a Saint Emperor and Ancestral God battlefield like Lingyu Mountain.

The crossroads, with its highest Half-Saint rule restrictions, was the best place for Tianren Wushuai to display his talents!

And discarding the impossible, the rest must be the answer:

Xu Xiaoshou actually managed to guide Hua Changdeng, breaking his mind and disrupting his rhythm with a story?

"His Dao of Intent may have transcended the Dao, but Hua Changdeng's Yi Gui is also extraordinary, so why did it come to this?"

Yi Gui?

The ultimate realm of Intent!

One master sword, ghost, with intent as supplementary cultivation.

One master intent, pure intent, reaching its peak.

Comparing the two, just considering intent, who is stronger and who is weaker, is immediately clear!

Only now did Jin Ren realize how much of a cheat code his main body had given him this time.

In this world, perhaps only Ancestral Gods like Cui Yin could be slightly immune to his guidance power?

"Old man, a mere taunt, and you're already showing your true colors?"

Jin Ren sneered, flicked his sleeves behind him, his clothes and hair fluttering in the wind.

Buzz buzz buzz!

The profound array diagram under his feet spun out in response.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Master Shou's aura soared into the sky, light and shadow flickering beneath him, and the Dao rhyme surged like a tide.

"Profound..."

"Oh my god! So many profound array diagrams!"

"Master Shou is a true lunatic, this is too terrifying!"

"Hearing about it is one thing, but seeing it with my own eyes is another. Even if he started cultivating in the womb, he wouldn't comprehend so many profound meanings, how old is he?"

Body, spirit, intent...

Dao of the Sword, Dao of Space, Dao of Time...

Things that could be understood, things that couldn't, things that could be named, things that had never been seen before, absolutely everything!

Amidst the dazzling display, Master Shou faced Yi Gui directly, without any fear, and even pointed a finger forward, smiling faintly in mockery:

"A mere Saint Emperor, how dare you act presumptuously in front of me!"

As a finger was pointed out, spatial ripples spread like water.

The Yi Gui, which was crushing down with endless intent, was actually gently stopped by Master Shou's Ten-Segment Sword Finger.

"Boom!"

Tens of thousands of miles away from Lingyu Mountain, rocks suddenly shattered.

However, those watching from inside the field only felt the force penetrate them, but it did not cause any harm.

"Did I die once?"

"Master Shou! It must be him who protected us!"

"Heavens, after half a year, has Master Shou become so strong?"

"No, when he dealt with a wisp of Hua Changdeng's remnant intent before, he still needed to use the famous sword art. How can the Ten-Segment Sword Finger block Yi Gui now?"

Blocked it?

Mei Siren's eyes showed surprise.

Xiao Kongtong was incredulous.

Gou Wuyue frowned slightly, seemingly relaxed, but in reality, it was not!

"Not good..."

Jin Ren had only just touched Yi Gui, and upon skin contact, he realized he had been reckless!

The surrounding light and shadow changed.

Lingyu was gone, replaced by the Ten Palaces.

The waters of Wangchuan surged forth.

Hua Changdeng was no longer Hua Changdeng; he had transformed into the Lord of Fengdu, overseeing the underworld, looking down from above with an imposing gaze.

"Boom!"

His spirit was swept away.

Jin Ren was almost forced to kneel.

But this was under the watchful eyes of the entire world, and he had already boasted. He could die, but if he knelt, wouldn't his main body skin him alive later?

"Hmph! That's all."

With a muffled grunt, blood just spilled from the corner of his lips, and Jin Ren, stubborn as a dead duck, quickly burned it away with Jin Zhao Bai Yan.

The surrounding Fengdu visions were still forming, and the pressure was growing.

Even more terrifying power of the Grim Reaper was pressing down, almost like an overwhelming tide!

"Damn it, I don't have the power of an Ancestral God..." Jin Ren knew he lost because he wasn't the main body and lacked many external forces.

Even though his complete divine sense could block the power of an Ancestral God, he had just been born and had only cultivated a few wisps of sword intent. Compared to Hua Changdeng's decades of accumulation at the bottom of the Wangchuan River, he was a mere apprentice.

He immediately changed his move, not daring to pretend anymore.

"Grotesque Trick!"

With a thought from his heart, Yi Gui forcibly twisted.

With a soft pop, the terrifying power at his fingertips transformed into a white goose feather...

"Resolved!"

The Five Domains roared in excitement. Master Shou had performed another grand trick. This time, he twisted Yi Gui's form?

Even Gou Wuyue's eyes showed confusion, but soon, he noticed something was wrong.

Normally, Xu Xiaoshou had used similar moves before and could transform into a lifelike large goose, but this time it was just a feather...

Was it intentional?

Or was he unable to perform?

"Damn it!"

When he saw only a feather in front of him, Jin Ren's pores exploded – he had imagined the Spirit Lake Great Goose!

But merely transforming it into a feather had almost drained his body of blood.

Even the energy he had absorbed from countless natural treasures in the Xingjie realm after his birth, filling half of the Nine Wheel Wuliang Jizi...

Was depleted!

Hua Changdeng, a humanoid monster!

No wonder this guy could digest the Kunpeng's power; he simply couldn't stop him. Only the main body could fight him!

"Boom."

He could no longer suppress it.

Maintaining the goose feather for only a moment, Yi Gui returned, its full power pressing down.

Jin Ren, using the buffer of "Grotesque Trick", wasted no time in retreating, using Vanishing Art and One Step to Heaven, scurrying away frantically.

Realizing he could still be locked by Yi Gui, he quickly activated Solitary World again. The moment the latter lost its target, he immediately deactivated it, exhaling in relief.

He survived...

He knew he was in a sorry state, but in the eyes of the crowd, the situation was completely different.

"Hahahaha!"

Yi Gui passed through, and Master Shou transformed into fluttering flower petals, beautiful and graceful, exiting the stage calmly.

From all directions high above the nine heavens, long bursts of laughter echoed. Master Shou was wild and unrestrained, but his voice was filled with regret:

"What a pity, Hua Changdeng."

"If it weren't for Ba Zun'an specifically asking to fight you, anyone who dares to draw a sword against me in the Five Domains to this day has never had a good end, understand?"

"Hahahaha, hahahaha, hahahahaha..."

The laughter drifted further and further away, eventually seeming to fade beyond the heavens, leaving only a faint, ethereal whisper in the ears of the people in the Five Domains:

"To know my name, first defeat Ba Zun'an!"

"Xu Xiaoshou..."

Hua Changdeng's eyebrows twitched wildly.

With one sword strike, he had probed Xu Xiaoshou's true strength by seven-tenths.

This guy couldn't block his sword at all. He was strong on the outside but weak on the inside, merely putting on a show.

Although that strange spiritual skill had forcibly twisted Yi Gui for a moment, it was only a moment and wouldn't cause any significant trouble.

Besides Yi Gui, he also had Shen Gui and Ling Gui.

If he truly unleashed all three swords, Xu Xiaoshou would undoubtedly die on the spot. His strength, compared to what he had seen before, seemed...

"Weaker?"

It shouldn't even be called weaker.

He was like a completely different person, not even a ten-thousandth of the strength of the famous sword art seen before!

Was it intentional?

Or an illusion?

Hua Changdeng knew Xu Xiaoshou was cunning, but he didn't know his mouth could be so foul, to the point of being called an eggplant after being tricked again.

He also knew Xu Xiaoshou was tricky. If he learned from one mistake, and then another, could he still fall for a third?

He didn't dare to underestimate this person, guessing that Xu Xiaoshou's appearance and display of weakness was not meant for him, but for the three Ancestors outside the realm.

"But do you really think so, and I won't be able to find you?"

However, the murderous intent in his chest had already risen. If this anger was not released, his mind would not be at peace. Hua Changdeng would not give Xu Xiaoshou another chance to play hide-and-seek.

The Saint Emperor of Yunshan had been tricked once. When he drew his sword, how could he not be cautious first?

"Heaven and Earth have form, obey my command."

"Swords rise in the Three Powers, arrays lock strange fates."

Hua Changdeng formed an illusory hand seal, a faint light glowing in his eyes, and he muttered incantations. When his voice settled, he raised his finger to command the ghosts.

"Roar!"

The sky suddenly darkened.

Amidst unclear roars, cracks appeared in the sky and亀纹 in the earth, from which two giant ghost hands emerged.

The upper and lower ghost hands arched their palms and grabbed towards Hua Changdeng. They clasped together around him, materializing a Senluo Ghost Realm.

Hua Changdeng, as if in an alien world, suddenly opened a ghost eye on his forehead, which shot out a thick soul chain.

"Boom—"

The chain traversed, breaking through clouds and mist, stirring up the horizon.

Sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right, as if catching an invisible figure capable of spatial transfer.

"Hua Changdeng is catching Master Shou!"

"But Master Shou has clearly vanished, how is he still locked onto?"

In just a few breaths, the soul chain shifted over a hundred times.

With each change in position, the Senluo Ghost Realm, formed by the ghost hands clasping around Hua Changdeng, marked a new location.

Flickering back and forth, suddenly everyone's consciousness went blank.

"What is Hua Changdeng doing?"

"He seems to be catching someone, who is it, Ba Zun'an?"

Just as everyone lost the concept of "Master Shou's" existence, Hua Changdeng's eyes became ferocious, splitting into ghost patterns.

He also forgot who he was dealing with.

But he had dealt with this situation before. When he forgot, it was time to net.

"Spiritual Placement!"

He shouted.

The ghost eye on his forehead closed.

The thick soul chain seemed to be bitten off by a closed gate of hell, directly shattering and flying into the void.

At the same time, Hua Changdeng, who was in the Senluo Ghost Realm like an alternate dimension, reappeared on Lingyu Mountain.

The red marks previously made in the Senluo Ghost Realm lit up, each emitting a soul chain that wove into a net, as if to bind something.

"Look, someone!"

As Hua Changdeng reappeared.

Jin Ren, who had been shifting and moving across the Five Domains, found that the spatial nodes around him suddenly changed.

He looked up and found himself in a desolate, blue-green world, as insignificant as a drop in the ocean.

Soul chains woven into a net from all directions bound him, branding his soul, hurting him so much he almost screamed.

Just as he wanted to instantly transform into an extreme giant and break through the Senluo Ghost Realm, the giant ghost hands reaching down from the sky and up from the earth...

"Control!"

In the ethereal realm, Jin Ren only heard this one word.

It seemed that in this world, all laws ceased to exist, leaving only the Dao of Soul.

All his abilities were suppressed by the ghost hands of heaven and earth, and he himself became one of the energy supply points for maintaining the Three Powers Sword Formation.

Without even trying, Xu Xiaoshou understood the principle of this sword formation. The more he exerted himself, the more stable the Three Powers Sword Formation became.

Unless he could break all laws with sheer force, which depended on him being far stronger than Hua Changdeng.

Or unless someone attacked from the outside to rescue him from his dire situation.

Only these two options, no other methods.

"Soul Manipulation Ghost Art, it still has the word 'ghost' in it, truly Hua Changdeng." Jin Ren sighed, secretly resentful.

His soul could be used...

But as for the Dao of Soul, I only understand the Spiritual Dao Disk...

To use soul techniques in front of Hua Changdeng's ghost sword art, which even Ba Zun'an admired, would be like teaching a fish to swim...

Jin Ren racked his brain, trying to think of other ways to break this sword.

Finally, he realized that ultimately, he was not the main body, and some things were still difficult to achieve.

He simply released Solitary World, took a deep breath, and a calm smile appeared on his face.

"When a man dies, he faces the sky."

At worst, it's just death.

What do I, Jin Ren, have to fear?

"I found you, little ghost."

When Hua Changdeng turned to look, the small Senluo Ghost Realm had indeed bound Xu Xiaoshou.

Similarly, the suppressive power of the Three Powers Sword Formation completely crushed his "Forgetfulness" technique.

He remembered.

He was catching Xu Xiaoshou.

Xu Xiaoshou was escaping, but he had no wings to fly.

This proved that although Xu Xiaoshou was skilled at guidance, his strength was insufficient; although skilled at forgetting, his power was lacking... Hah, after all, he wasn't an Ancestral God, he had overestimated him.

"A rat who hides his head and tail, what now?"

Hua Changdeng sneered, his eyes filled with mockery. Although his words were unkind, it was only because Xu Xiaoshou had repeatedly spoken wildly and disrespected him.

In his heart, Hua Changdeng was already greatly surprised that this child could achieve such a feat.

But it was destined to be fruitless!

From the moment Xu Xiaoshou dared to touch Yi Gui with his sword and was branded with the "Fate Seal," it was decided that as long as he drew a breath, he would not be able to escape this prison of heaven and earth!

"Master Shou was caught..."

The people of the Five Domains couldn't help but feel anxious.

Master Shou was only arrogant for a moment. Under Hua Changdeng's sword, his true form was revealed. Was he just a little fox after all?

This was too disappointing, as the Five Domains had such high expectations for Master Shou.

But...

When they actually looked, Master Shou, who was captured in the Senluo Ghost Realm, showed no trace of panic on his face.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his chin slightly raised, his eyes full of arrogance:

"What do I think? It turns out to be using spirit to enter fate, intervening in the path of reincarnation and destiny, and branding such a mark. It's truly unprecedented and has broadened my horizons.

"Hua Changdeng, you're not bad either. Following the old path of the Ghost Ancestor, you've indeed come up with some new ideas, but do you think you can restrain me with just this?"

Can't restrain him?

Hua Changdeng looked at him, smiling, but said nothing.

Based on the strength of Xu Xiaoshou that he had probed with Yi Gui just now, this Three Powers Sword Formation would take him half a year to break!

But as soon as this thought crossed his mind, the "Fate Seal" left on Xu Xiaoshou was suddenly powerfully erased.

What?

Hua Changdeng was slightly stunned.

The Dao of Intent! It was the power of the Dao of Intent that just erased his fate seal!

But in this sword formation, only the power of the Dao of Spirit was clearly available... Had his Intent Dao reached such a high level?

"Hua Changdeng, I only need to use one sword, and this formation will break without a fight, do you believe me?"

In the Senluo Ghost Realm, Xu Xiaoshou was still so calm and composed.

He didn't even seem to want to come out, even though he had the power of the Dao of Intent to transcend this formation, he was too lazy to move an inch.

I don't believe it!

Hua Changdeng didn't believe it at all.

He had calmed down and realized that in this Three Powers Formation, the power of Intent Dao might be able to erase his fate seal, but it was limited to that. The Dao of Intent couldn't help him escape.

The more he struggled, the deeper he sank. Xu Xiaoshou was just a dying beast, putting on a brave front.

"I see you don't believe me."

"But when your face swells up like an eggplant later, you'll have to believe it!"

Under the gaze of the Five Domains, Master Shou's voice turned fierce. He formed the Shattered Sword Finger and raised it:

"If Xu Xiaoshou had not been born, the Dao of Sword would have been like a long night through the ages! Come, sword!"

Hua Changdeng chuckled.

In the Three Powers Sword Formation, the Dao of Intent might be able to transcend.

But how far along was Xu Xiaoshou's Dao of Sword? Using the Dao of Sword wouldn't that be making the sword formation bind him even tighter, self-inflicting a deeper restraint?

The earth trembled.

Master Shou's shout of "Come, sword!" clearly originated from the Senluo Ghost Realm, but the Void Sword Sea remained deaf, completely ignoring his command.

Yet suddenly, the Lingyu Mountain cracked open, and a fiery serpent soared into the sky, not far from Hua Changdeng.

"This..."

Hua Changdeng was stunned.

As he glanced to the side, he only caught a glimpse of a familiar sword shadow.

When did this happen?

How could this sword be here?

"The sword really appeared!"

The Five Domains were also stunned. This sword didn't appear in the Senluo Ghost Realm, yet it still listened and could hear Master Shou's command...

"Is that?"

"Yan Mang! Famous Sword Ranking Third, Flame Sword Yan Mang! The last one!"

The fiery serpent soared into the sky, as if the Yan Mang of the White Caves had been born.

In the Senluo Ghost Realm, Master Shou pointed a finger at the Void Sword Sea, looking at Famous Sword Twenty-One, and laughed loudly: