Chapter 1914: Sincere

How could Dao Qiongcang really stake his all on Yaozu Shennong Baicao?

Is he the kind of person who is content to be beneath others, make a quick profit, immediately wash his hands of it all, and then live off his past gains?

No.

Greed is an essential quality for every cultivating and aspiring individual, let alone Dao Qiongcang, whose ambitions soar higher than the heavens.

Xu Xiaoshou is perfectly clear; this fellow probably hasn't staked anything on the Three Ancestors, or he's staked on all of them.

In reality, it wasn't a gamble for him, but rather, from his subjective consciousness, he regarded the Three Ancestors as mere pawns, toying with them in the palm of his hand.

He relishes in strategizing and the perverse pleasure of being hidden behind the scenes, stirring up trouble.

This is the Dao Qiongcang that Xu Xiaoshou knows.

And no matter the process, Dao Qiongcang's ultimate goal is one and only: to truly become a God and an Ancestor, the supreme one, after the two-in-one and return-to-zero.

The one he wishes to emulate, whether he knows that person or not, is the only one left:

The one who cannot be extinguished by the Great Calamity, who will never lose himself, who exists for eternity, the sole one in all realms... Nuo!

Based on this understanding, whatever Dao Qiongcang's answer was, it was never important to Xu Xiaoshou.

His hidden chess piece was exposed; as soon as the words left his mouth, he wanted to conceal something, but had to use more lies to cover it up. The information revealed in this process was crucial.

On the surface, Jiang NayI and Yan Sheng were still chatting and laughing.

Underneath, Jin Ren and Tianji Kuilei began their clandestine battle.

In reality, Xu Xiaoshou and Dao Qiongcang met on a narrow path, clashing once again, each trying to gain more and conceal more for themselves.

The interesting thing is...

This time, Dao Qiongcang couldn't hide his tail and was genuinely caught by surprise by Xu Xiaoshou.

"Beep, beep, beep!"

Even at this moment, the danger alarm in someone's mind had not completely disarmed.

This isn't because Xu Xiaoshou is too terrifying, murderous, or harbors ill intentions.

It's simply because, even with the second brain's deductions, the person hasn't been able to find the answer he desires most in the first instant.

"This shouldn't be, this variable shouldn't exist..."

"Xu Xiaoshou must have had his brain kicked by a donkey to come to the Temporal Rift so early; he should have entered after the Three Ancestors were involved..."

"But he really does like to hop around on the edge of a cliff. Did I really miscalculate this step and not include 'grandstanding' in my deductions? No, that's not right either..."

Dao Qiongcang felt as if he was only a hair's breadth away from the truth, almost within reach.

But just as he was about to calculate it, that slippery thing always slipped away.

Yet it didn't go far.

It was just beyond the mist.

Dao Qiongcang could even feel it sticking out its tongue and making faces at him, but he just couldn't grasp this truth, only growing more frustrated.

Xu Xiaoshou didn't know how much trouble his circuitous entry had caused Dao Qiongcang's Tao in terms of calculation.

But what is a "passive skill"?

With Cui Yin's reversal of will dispelled, Xu Xiaoshou immediately felt "I'm free!"

The strongest extended passive skill, Concealment, made a powerful return.

Plus, the Extreme Realm of the Way of Intent, circuitous guidance, and faded presence.

Most people wouldn't think of trying to calculate him.

Those who are extraordinary and wish to calculate him would have to consider the most meticulous and comprehensive aspects, including but not limited to from external to internal, from concrete to abstract, such as:

Abilities, thoughts, personality, habits...

And they would have to delve into the next layer, as Xu Xiaoshou himself is also a dirty person, and is on guard against these things, so they would have to put in more effort to calculate:

Anti-thoughts, anti-personality, anti-habits...

Some things can be quantified, some cannot, to the extent that even someone as unfathomable as Dao Qiongcang, when calculating Xu Xiaoshou after he had completely broken free from his cage.

Touching him was like cloud mist, observing him was like rippling water, impossible to control or fathom.

"Dao Peipei!"

Xu Xiaoshou, however, seized this fox's tail that Dao Qiongcang had revealed, refusing to let go easily.

He let out a heavy shout in his Lingxi Shu, while outside, Yan Sheng remained as usual, chatting with Jiang NayI about everything from the far corners of the earth to romantic topics, without a moment's rest.

Unfortunately, unable to see Dao Qiongcang's reaction, Xu Xiaoshou continued to ask:

"Dao Qiongcang, do you know the person I'm talking about?"

Naturally...

An ordinary person might answer thus.

Dao Qiongcang would never give such a constrained answer. Hearing this, he sighed: "It seems your true body is in Qian Shi, yet you still overlooked what I told you about 'Thirteen Things Not to Say'. Well, you're now in the Extreme Realm of the Way of Intent, so strong that even Cui Yin trifles with you, so it's understandable that you don't care about these things..."

Dao Peipei was indeed playing chess with Xu Xiaoshou. From Dao Qiongcang's perspective, whether it was the true body was debatable. Arguing would mean losing the initiative and possibly revealing more information.

Among the "Thirteen Things Not to Say," there is one "Do not say Qian Shi," which corresponds to one of the Ghost Ancestor's warnings, "Do not go to Qian Shi." This directly sparks intense curiosity: does Dao Peipei have a ghost?

The Extreme Realm of the Way of Intent, although Dao Qiongcang was indeed moved and aware when he saw Cui Yin again, how can he be so certain now? Has he considered the assistance of entities like Nuo? It makes one want to investigate further...

One sentence, three traps.

If it were an ordinary person, following these three directions, they would blindly rush in like a headless fly and never get out.

Xu Xiaoshou is very vigilant and would not hand over the initiative to the flashy old Dao—they can chat, they can talk, but he cannot be led by the nose.

But obviously, grabbing the fox's tail and trying to lead Dao Qiongcang by the nose is not easy; it still needs to be done slowly.

"I need to know one prerequisite: what is your relationship with Dao Peipei?" Xu Xiaoshou was very direct. "You know, I've always trusted your words, please answer truthfully."

The other side of Lingxi Shu didn't remain silent for too long before giving an ambiguous answer: "Dao Qiongcang, Dao Peipei, Xu Xiaoshou, Xu JingtIng."

This flashy old Dao... Xu Xiaoshou hesitated for a moment, then gave him some face and followed up: "Who is Xu JingtIng?"

"I don't know, because that's also a name I just made up."

The flashy old Dao's speech, whether talking or answering, was as winding as a mountain road with eighteen turns.

If one's mind couldn't keep up, they would truly not know what he was talking about.

Fortunately, Xu Xiaoshou was not foolish and understood what Dao Qiongcang was trying to express: that his statement was also that he did not know Dao Peipei.

And he subtly reminded him that since the name Dao Peipei could be fake, everything he said could also be fabricated.

A scheme to sow discord...

Who is real and who is fake, one still has to discern for oneself...

He truly wanted to rush forward and simply slit this heaven-defying neck with a knife. All riddle-masters should die!

Xu Xiaoshou had already made it clear. Based on his first sentence, since this fellow said he didn't know Dao Peipei, he "took it seriously" and continued:

"Do you know, Dao Peipei analyzed the chess game with me, not mentioning Cui Yin once, but instead thoroughly discussed the Demon and Medicine Ancestors. Who do you think Dao Peipei supports?"

"Cui Yin."

"Do you really think so?" Xu Xiaoshou asked again.

"If you put it that way, I can only draw that conclusion. Whether it's true or not, Master Xu is smarter than I am and already has his own judgment. Why ask me?"

You son of a...

Who the hell gave birth to this rebellious Daoist? Is he an animal?

Xu Xiaoshou was prepared and continued: "Besides Cui Yin, there's another person Dao Peipei completely distanced himself from. Do you know who it is?"

"Master Xu asking this, and at this time, it can only be 'me', right?"

"Do you really think so, that he has no relation to you whatsoever?"

Lingxi Shu fell silent.

Xu Xiaoshou waited for a while, but the fellow remained tight-lipped.

"Speak!"

Jiang NayI suddenly let out a heavy roar, startling Yan Sheng. Under the threat of "confessing" to the Three Ancestors, Lingxi Shu came back to life.

Dao Qiongcang, however, did not answer, but sighed: "Master Xu, the answers to these things are useless even if you get them. What you really want to ask is not these, right?"

"Alright, alright, then I won't ask."

Xu Xiaoshou took a step back. "You're smarter than I am. So you tell me. I'd like to see what kind of rhetoric you can come up with!"

"I don't want to debate anything about the Seven Sword Immortals..." Dao Qiongcang changed the subject. "How about this, Master Xu, let me off the hook this time, and I'll share some information you most want to know, how about that?"

There were few brain-teasers that could silence Xu Xiaoshou, and Dao Qiongcang was indeed an anomaly.

He reacted for quite a while before understanding what "Seven Sword Immortals" meant, then shivered and said, "...Speak."

"I know Nuo."

Cutting to the chase, his words were astonishing.

It must be said that Dao Qiongcang possesses such charm that Xu Xiaoshou was captivated. "Continue!"

"Mo and Cui also know."

"Mo, what is known about Nuo, lies with the First Generation Liu Xu."

"As you know, the White-scaled Witch, also known as Xu Yuehui Gong Baizhou, is in my hands. I've seen quite a bit."

He specifically explained this sentence, indicating that Dao Qiongcang knows Nuo not just because of the White-scaled Witch... Xu Xiaoshou secretly noted this point, not interrupting, intending to ask later.

"When the First Generation Liu Xu descended to the Five Domains with Nuo, Mo still displayed divinity, that is, the Sacred Ancestor. This can be seen from the White-scaled Witch."

"Since he is the Sacred Ancestor, and since he rejected Nuo, it can be concluded that he had most likely just attained godhood and ancestorship, believing himself to have reached the pinnacle, or perhaps unaware of the two-in-one, the return-to-zero, the discerning of self, and also unaware that there are mountains beyond mountains, and Nuo beyond the Sacred."

Xu Xiaoshou clicked his tongue, always amazed by Dao Qiongcang's deductive and computational abilities, seeing the autumn leaf in the fall, nothing could be more fitting.

And!

Since he rejected Nuo...

He made another mental note. This indicates that Dao Qiongcang clearly knows a lot about Nuo, and also knows that those who reject Nuo will regret it.

Xu Xiaoshou never refused.

Or rather, due to the Name Ancestor, he never had the chance to refuse.

From the results, he gained the Extreme Realm of the Way of Intent for free, saving too many passive points—the key is that the extreme realm cannot be brute-forced, and the highest rule place encountered so far is only beyond Dao transformation, which is 90.

"The Sacred Ancestor must have regretted it when he decided to split into the Demon."

"The Demon must have also condemned, after he sealed the Ancestor God's destiny and swallowed the Sacred Ancestor."

"Because only at this time, after the two-in-one is complete, those who have lost themselves better understand how precious the help of those who have discerned themselves is."

"From the results, even if the Demon successfully took half a step, he should not have seen Nuo again, otherwise he would not have released 'Liu Xu' in this era."

Xu Xiaoshou processed the vast amount of information and found it credible.

Dao Qiongcang was being so open and honest, he must have intended to discuss something true—he must have confirmed where his Extreme Realm of Intent came from. Without knowing how much he knew about Nuo, the risk of deception was too great, and Dao Qiongcang would not easily attempt it.

And regarding the Demon not having seen Nuo, Xu Xiaoshou dared to make a guess.

Perhaps each person only gets one chance with Nuo.

Or perhaps, although Nuo was not annihilated by the Great Calamity, it was difficult for him to come out and find people for help.

After all, what he saw in the world behind the three doors was also an "image" left by Nuo, whether from the past or the future, which could communicate, but was not the real person.

"This is what I know about Mo. I've laid it all out for you."

"From this, your predictions about his purpose, his ambitions, and all his subsequent actions, are up to you to deduce, and have nothing to do with me."

"Now, let's talk about Cui."

Lingxi Shu paused, Dao Qiongcang's voice was very calm.

In fact, "Thirteen Things Not to Say" does not include "Do not say Cui Yin," yet he still used cautious wording—truly an egg so seamless that not even a fly could bite into it!

"I once used the White-scaled Witch as an excuse to ask Cui about Nuo. His answer was, 'A low-level Saint Emperor is inferior to a War Ancestor.'"

Xu Xiaoshou frowned.

How could Cui Yin be so annoying?

However, on second thought, from Cui Yin's perspective, even though he had been hunted by himself and Dao Qiongcang.

Overall, Dao Qiongcang could only be said to have performed ordinarily, or perhaps had some commendable points, but he was probably still not much different from an ant—at least not comparable to a single blow from a God and Hegemon!

Wait, Dao Qiongcang and Cui Yin are in cahoots?

Oh, right, they were already in cahoots. The death of Ai Cang Sheng was also connected to him.

But this was the first time Xu Xiaoshou had seen such a frank Dao Qiongcang, and he really wanted to hear what else this guy was going to reveal.

"Don't forget, the Three Ancestors are now allied, just outside the Temporal Rift." Dao Qiongcang mentioned the advantage of the location. His thinking was always comprehensive, not missing any details:

"When I asked him, if Cui was curious about Nuo, he might have questioned the Demon and Medicine Ancestors at that time."

"And regardless of whether this was asked at that time or previously, a phrase like 'a low-level Saint Emperor is inferior to a War Ancestor,' used to fob me off, is likely not from Cui's mouth, but originated from Mo or Yao."

"'A low-level Saint Emperor is inferior to a War Ancestor'—disregarding the superficial Saint Emperor and War Ancestor and thinking more deeply, one gets 'contempt.' Thus, regardless of whether this came from Mo or Yao, it means that when Nuo descended to the Five Domains, his power was greatly diminished, inferior to the Ancestor Gods of our realm."

After hearing this, Xu Xiaoshou could only lament, if Dao Qiongcang had no ulterior motives and devoted himself entirely to being his strategist, how wonderful that would be.

He would dare to tie up the Three Ancestors and beat them all at once!

Unfortunately, this fellow wants to defy heaven and is not a good person!

"Back to Cui himself."

"Does the Ten Ancestors truly not know Nuo? I don't think so."

"Cui rose among the Ten Ancestors in a later era and was the first to complete the two-in-one. With such talent, if there was an opportunity, Nuo would surely have met him, even perhaps meeting him extensively and inviting him with great effort."

Invite... Xu Xiaoshou caught a hint of something again, but he kept it to himself.

"From the way he trivialized me with his small self, yet was very concerned about my knowledge of Nuo, it seems he knows Nuo very deeply, perhaps even more than Mo."

"From the way he integrated術 (shu, technique) and 邪 (xie, evil), yet obliterated術 and only revered 邪, it seems that he failed to discern himself and also rejected Nuo."

"The Way of Nuo is not the only way, but it must have made the Three Ancestors regret it. However, they must also be afraid that following the Way of Nuo would make them Nuo's pawns, falling into his trap. Therefore, they all look forward and forge new paths."

"This is the Ten Ancestors!"

"Full of confidence, respectful but not fearful, abandoning the old for the new."

At this point, Dao Qiongcang interjected an irrelevant question: "Has Master Xu ever considered this question?" (End of chapter)

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