Chapter 2009: Observing Fire

"Bashi Duoshe?"

Upon seeing this technique, Yaozu's heart froze.

He wasn't sure if this was Ciyin's original intention or if something else had been mixed in.

This technique, renowned as the ultimate soul-奪舍 (duóshè) and path-奪道 (duódào) snatching method, once unleashed, is irreversible. It is a technique of "placing oneself in a death trap to find life."

Its primary prerequisite is to abandon one's self!

If successful, the sacrificed self can return through the snatched body, gaining both the body and power of the 被奪舍者 (bèi duóshè zhě), effectively trading one for two—a significant gain.

But if it fails, death is certain.

Even if there are unforeseen complications, since the caster has already abandoned their self before casting the spell, there is no way to retrieve it.

Therefore, only success is allowed; failure is not an option!

At least, without ninety percent certainty, based on Yaozu's impression of Ciyin, Ciyin shouldn't be casting this technique.

"My path has clearly nothing to do with Ciyin's path..."

Life and Samsara are completely unrelated to the path of techniques.

At most, Ciyin might have developed a huge appetite and wanted to incorporate life and Samsara into the path of techniques, but that would be too laborious.

How could the twin rivers of Dao be merged into one's own Dao simply because of someone's sudden whim?

Therefore, Yaozu had considered "Duoshe" before, but immediately dismissed it.

In his opinion, it was too absurd.

Ciyin had no chance of winning, and even if he succeeded in snatching the Dao, it wouldn't fit—this was the worst possible choice.

But the current situation was evolving in that very direction.

Yaozu, skilled in planning, immediately reacted by thinking: Ciyin is no longer Ciyin, has he been controlled by someone else?

But in the entire world, besides himself and Mozu, who else could possibly control Ciyin?

No one!

To say that Daoqiongcang or Beihuai stood behind Ciyin would be utterly ridiculous. Don't you see that Dao Bei is like a mud pellet, and Ciyin is like a towering mountain? They cannot be compared at all!

Despite the suspicion and strangeness, Ciyin had, after all, taken a direct blow from him and unleashed this technique.

Yaozu couldn't find the answer, but that didn't stop him from instantly flashing back and retreating.

However, from the Guifo Realm, he retreated to the far west of the Central Region, then further to the Great Desert of the Western Region. The Bashi purple threads, like a meteor shower, pursued him relentlessly, refusing to let go.

"Mark..."

Yaozu immediately detected the key, finding the mark of the Bashi Duoshe technique on his palm.

Even with the power of the twin rivers of Dao, this mark reached the pinnacle of Ciyin's power after his Reverse-Forbidden-Rebirth (Nijin Lunsheng).

Not fighting?

Just leaving a mark?

This really wasn't Ciyin's style; there was something fishy!

But since he had fallen for this, let alone the intense battle making it impossible for Yaozu to erase the mark in a short time.

Even if he had ample time to spare, it would take at least ten days to half a month for this mark to be completely obliterated.

After a brief attempt to gauge its strength,

Even Yaozu had to sigh and acknowledge that a centipede, even dead, never stiffens.

"Hah!"

Yaozu stood still in the Great Desert of the Western Region, his eyes opening and closing, no longer retreating, and sneered:

"Then I'll give you a chance!"

The River of Life and the River of Samsara unfolded in a cross shape, bringing gurgling water to the parched desert.

Life immediately flourished everywhere. This once desolate desert, for the first time, sprouted vibrant new growth.

Lush greenery filled the land, and plants grew in abundance.

Suddenly, the desert trembled, and the power of the twin rivers curled upwards, like a flower bud closing, converging on Yaozu, protecting him in the center.

"Lament!"

His divine court wailed, instantly unleashed, suppressing the Great Desert of the Western Region.

After setting up his countermeasures and protecting himself, Yaozu guarded his mind, his consciousness sinking into the Niwan Palace, activating the Life Meridian Map. He intended to use himself as the battlefield and swallow all of Ciyin's techniques that had actively entered him.

Indeed!

Ciyin wanted to snatch Yaozu's body, and Yaozu also coveted Ciyin's techniques.

Unlike the weakened Ciyin, although the path of techniques didn't greatly intersect with life and Samsara, Yaozu would have plenty of time afterwards to push this path to its peak, allowing his combat power to infinitely approach the "Three Rivers."

"Chish chish chish chish chish!"

Purple meteor showers streaked across the sky, fleeting in an instant.

The five regions' gazes followed the battlefield, clearly seeing billions of purple streaks of light. The moment Yaozu stopped, they breached the substantial protection of the twin rivers and the divine court's lament as if entering an uninhabited realm, invading Yaozu's ethereal mind.

Yaozu Shennong Baicao slowly closed his eyes.

He knew that when he opened his eyes again, there would be no more Shusu among the Ten Ancestors; instead, there would be... Da Dao Sanhe Shennong Baicao!

His consciousness receded.

But even Yaozu himself didn't notice.

As he focused intently on dealing with Ciyin, the purple Ciyin hand seal mark on his palm seemed to shift?

In an extremely brief moment, it transformed into a "jiong" character pattern, and after a while, it flashed back into a "handshake" pattern.

The changes were extremely rapid, unnoticed by anyone.

When it returned, it was still the Ciyin hand seal mark.

It was as if this mark, which contained the ultimate power of Ciyin, could not possibly have external intervention.

Even if it did, those "people" wouldn't be two.

"What a powerful technique!"

At the crossroads, Xu Xiaoshou was still secretly learning.

Possessing the "Technique Dao Disk," he was almost one of the few people in the world, besides Yaozu, who could discern the decisiveness of Ciyin's technique.

In the eyes of outsiders, after Ciyin cast the spell, Yaozu rooted himself in the Great Desert of the Western Region, calmly responding, and thenceforth remained still.

The most obvious, yet superficial, outward manifestation was that Yaozu's body suddenly became corrupted, as if someone had forcibly seized a territory.

One-third was life, one-third was Samsara.

The remaining power was the newly assimilated Ciyin evil qi, that purple power filled with an eerie aura.

"Quick, quick, why aren't you going in to see?"

Xu Xiaoshou was anxious, but his face remained incredibly calm, his peripheral vision constantly fixed on Daoqiongcang beside him.

When Daoqiongcang had previously offered the Ciyin puppet, he had made no effort to conceal the mark he had implanted.

Outsiders couldn't know the inside story of Yao and Ciyin's Duoshe, but if this person wanted to, he could certainly intervene indirectly and see for himself.

Daoqiongcang, however, appeared extremely restrained.

Although his breathing was noticeably heavier than his usual composure, and the fervent glow in his eyes was difficult to conceal,

Even so, this person managed to remain still.

He simply waited, waiting until the struggle between life, Samsara, and Ciyin's power within Yaozu's body grew more intense, when Yaozu would surely be too preoccupied to notice anything else.

"Xu Xiaoshou, keep an eye on the crossroads, be careful of 'Mo,' my back is in your hands."

Daoqiongcang quickly dropped this sentence, stepped onto the River of Memories, and submerged himself in the river.

"Don't worry, my Dao."

Xu Xiaoshou clenched his fist, his expression solemn.

After watching Daoqiongcang leave the crossroads, he took a deep breath, and then...

Continued to wait!

He waited until the forces of life, Samsara, and Ciyin within Yaozu's body were engaged in a raging battle, when Daoqiongcang's attention would surely be completely absorbed, leaving him no time for other concerns.

Xu Xiaoshou spun on his heel, bringing forth his "Intent Dao Disk," and only then did a blazing fire ignite in his eyes.

"What's there to argue about? I'll take a look too!"

The Ciyin puppet had been in his hands for over half a year, its seal originating from Feng Yujin, and later reinforced by his own Intent Dao Extremity.

Through such a long period of slow infiltration, the mark he left was deeper and more dormant than Daoqiongcang's, even Ciyin hadn't noticed it.

He sliced off a wisp of his mind, intending to discard it after seeing everything.

Xu Xiaoshou activated the hidden mark, and with a silent "Soul Descent Technique," he squeezed through the unseen crack in the Duoshe battle, twisting his waist.

In the darkness, a flicker of flame seemed to ignite.

Immediately after, the light of Dao patterns bloomed, dazzlingly brilliant.

This was a mystical world!

There was no sky, no ground, and no living beings.

In the entire darkness, the only things shining were blinding lights, like the laws of the Great Dao, crisscrossing and outlining a massive life pattern.

"Yaozu's Life Pattern!"

"If externalized into a Life Dao Disk, it would definitely be 99, or even 100!"

Knowing this was Yaozu's inner world, Xu Xiaoshou was astonished by the magnificent Life Pattern at first glance.

An outsider coming here would likely gain nothing from seeing this pattern.

He was different; he had the Life Dao Disk, even if it was currently only 90, not comparable to Yaozu's, it was still beyond the Dao Transformation realm.

Xu Xiaoshou had a vast amount of foundational knowledge, which allowed him to understand this Life Pattern and then spend time replicating it on his Dao Disk.

In other words, by simply memorizing it, he could follow suit and push his Life Dao Disk to 99, and then truly comprehend the Dao of Life, pushing his realm to its true extreme.

From the result, he traced back the process.

He had done this method many times, and currently, Xu Xiaoshou's secret learning had reached its pinnacle!

But...

"Can't be reckless, can't be reckless!"

The idea was still too crazy; Yaozu wasn't dead yet.

At this moment, let alone pushing the Life Dao Disk to 99.

Even a small breakthrough, from 90 to 91, would likely negate all his efforts in "Oblivion Guidance" and bring him back into Yaozu's sight.

"Unless Yaozu dies, the Dao of Life cannot advance further."

"Otherwise, I'll be the next Kui Leihan, oppressed for thirty years, unable to breathe deeply."

Xu Xiaoshou had already made this decision. After merely memorizing Yaozu's Life Pattern, he temporarily put the matter aside and continued to observe his surroundings.

This world was Yaozu's Life Pattern world.

Bones and meridians formed the framework of the Dao pattern's lines, while the five zang organs stacked the rich and vibrant colors of Dao comprehension. Yet, all power flowed towards the head of the Life Pattern, the Niwan Palace, where the spirit was nurtured!

Above the Life Pattern, three forces intertwined, mutually advancing: the powers of life, Samsara, and Ciyin.

Xu Xiaoshou immediately spotted the purple power representing Ciyin's evil qi and couldn't help but exclaim:

"The intensity of Bashi Duoshe is truly too high!"

Visibly, the purple power continuously encroached upon the Life Pattern.

It had only taken one-third outside, but now it was close to occupying half.

"Guiling Yaozu, so weak?"

Xu Xiaoshou frowned at first, then quickly reacted.

It wasn't that Yaozu was weak, but that his preparations against the Duoshe technique were not as extensive as Ciyin's.

Caught off guard, and given that this technique was indeed of an extremely high level, ordinary people simply couldn't withstand Ciyin's destructive power. That Yaozu could complete his preparations and retreat into the Niwan Palace, steadfastly guarding his mind to this extent, was already quite perfect.

"Squeak! Gaa! Gaa!"

In his ears was Ciyin's wild laughter, filled with madness, mixed with some unintelligible demonic babbling.

From the mad laughter, it seemed Ciyin truly had lost his self, retaining only the obsession to attack.

The Life Pattern, like the rivers of the five regions, crisscrossed horizontally and vertically.

The hidden mark, to which Xu Xiaoshou's consciousness was attached, was like a grain of sand in a branch of one of these rivers.

It belonged to a part of Ciyin's power, and as long as there was no command from the true master, it would follow Ciyin's obsession, steadily advancing along the vast, river-like Life Pattern meridians.

"A bit interesting..."

This was the first time Xu Xiaoshou had so intuitively witnessed the progress of "Duoshe" from the level of the Life Pattern.

He easily judged the disparity between the enemy and himself:

"Ciyin's momentum is fierce, unstoppable!"

Ciyin's momentum was too fast.

The powers of life and Samsara were neutral and gentle; even if they could transform into extreme Yin and extreme Yang, they were still slightly inferior under the extremely fanatical "technique-turned-Ciyin" power.

Therefore, if they were to confront it head-on, Yaozu might be able to block the Duoshe, but it would definitely be a pyrrhic victory.

"That old man is not a fool..."

Xu Xiaoshou dared not follow the main force. His consciousness detached from the attached sand and exited Ciyin's faction.

Then, he detached from Yaozu's Life Pattern, hovering at the edge of the battlefield.

His main body, to be safe, directly activated "Forgotten World, Standing Alone" and maintained it for a long time.

Thus, he completely detached from "being in the mountains" and could observe the Duoshe process more comprehensively from a God's-eye view, while also avoiding Yaozu's attention.

"Buzz!"

The three-dimensional world of the Life Pattern, under his perception, seemed to transform from three-dimensional to two-dimensional, laying flat like a chessboard.

On the chessboard, two wills clashed: one manifested as the fanatical and deranged Ciyin, the other as the mature and steady Yaozu.

"Samsara Divide."

Compared to Ciyin's madness, Yaozu was too methodical.

Xu Xiaoshou boldly leaned in to listen, even hearing Yaozu's disdain in his thoughts.

He used the power of Samsara as a sword, slicing into his own Life Pattern branches, creating an opening in advance under Ciyin's onslaught.

The invisible opening was in his own Niwan Palace, where spirit was nurtured and Dao cultivated, but it connected to the real world's great desert through the power of Samsara.

When Ciyin's power rushed through the "opening," a portion of it was diverted towards the River of Samsara below Yaozu's body, which was closed in self-protection.

One meridian like this had minimal effect.

But Ciyin was in a frenzy and simply wouldn't turn.

Thus, meridian after meridian, nearly a tenth of Ciyin's Duoshe power was diverted into the River of Samsara by Yaozu.

"After severing hands, next will be severing feet."

Yaozu retreated while fighting, and also activated the power of the River of Life.

When Ciyin's Duoshe power completely encroached upon the meridians of his Life Pattern, the life force belonging to Yaozu transformed into Ciyin without any hindrance.

However, after the transformation, it solidified itself through the River of Life, like a giant boulder obstructing a torrent.

One giant boulder was not enough to stop a dam-breaking flood.

However, Ciyin wouldn't turn, nor would he move the boulders, nor could he discern the purpose of these boulders.

Thus, as boulders blocked the path, Ciyin's Duoshe technique continued to advance, but its speed, compared to its initial surge, had been curbed by three-tenths.

"Further cut its tendons, pick its bones, drink its blood, devour its flesh..."

Yaozu showed no panic, constantly employing tactics, using retreat as an advance.

He integrated into Ciyin step by step, and infiltrated Ciyin step by step. Since the Bashi Duoshe technique was unstoppable, he went with the flow, intending to break Ciyin down piecemeal before Ciyin could complete the Duoshe of himself.

"Ciyin is doomed!"

Xu Xiaoshou saw at a glance that with Yaozu's current response, Ciyin's chances of success were infinitely close to zero, let alone a mere one percent hope.

As for why it was infinitely close to, rather than directly equal to, zero...

"Idiot!"

"Brute!"

"The path of techniques has myriad changes, yet after going crazy, you remain unchanged, only knowing how to charge straight ahead. You are even weaker in intellect than Shen Yi!"

Amidst the rushing water, in this world where Yaozu's spirit and consciousness materialized, all true forms could not escape.

Xu Xiaoshou turned his gaze, seeing Daoqiongcang on the black river beside him, clenching his fists, leaning forward intently, as if desperately cheering for Ciyin.

Yet, he cursed until veins popped out on his neck, while the fanatical Ciyin only continued to charge forward.

From his expression, Daoqiongcang must have wished he could tear off his own head and place it at the forefront of Ciyin's power, becoming the leader of the headless horde.

"This river..."

Xu Xiaoshou frowned, not focusing on Daoqiongcang's outburst, but rather on what was beneath his feet.

Undoubtedly, this was the River of Memories.

But it was different from what he had seen before; the river water was pitch black, not murky, but an extreme darkness.

It was like...

"Shadow?"

More like...

"The backside of memory?"

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly recalled the enlightenment he had gained when he met Daoqiongcang again in the Dragon Cave.

At the time, it was merely a deduction based on a sudden inspiration from his Intent Dao Extremity, leading to this vague concept.

Now it seemed, Daoqiongcang truly had a side hidden behind the River of Memories?

And, his River of Memories truly had a backside?

Why didn't Shizu's River of Time, or Yaozu's Rivers of Life and Samsara, have one?

No...

Perhaps they did.

It's just that they haven't touched upon it yet?

This deduction seemed even crazier, tantamount to saying that Daoqiongcang, in terms of Dao comprehension, surpassed Shizu and Yaozu.

But how was that possible?

Wouldn't that mean that the flamboyant old Daoist's talent was even higher than Bazun'an's?

However...

He glanced back at Daoqiongcang on the black River of Memories.

Daoqiongcang was frantic but couldn't see himself, which was understandable.

After all, his Intent Dao Extremity touched upon memory, so he could see Daoqiongcang, and Daoqiongcang should have been able to see him, but due to "Forgotten World, Standing Alone," Daoqiongcang was blind to him.

He glanced back again at Yaozu, who was still steadily suppressing Ciyin on the distant Life Pattern.

The terrifying thing was that he had activated "Forgotten World, Standing Alone," so Yaozu's attention wasn't on him, and it was normal for her not to see him.

But Yaozu also couldn't detect Daoqiongcang, who was standing on the backside of the River of Memories. This was shocking, and it precisely confirmed this conjecture:

At least at this moment, to some extent, Daoqiongcang was superior to Yaozu?

"I'm impressed!"

Watching Ciyin rapidly nearing defeat, and the Duoshe process about to be halted by Yaozu, Daoqiongcang finally gave up waiting for a turn of events.

Perhaps he thought Ciyin had a hidden card...

Unexpectedly, Ciyin was truly pushed to a dead end, with only brute force remaining.

Daoqiongcang's expression returned to solemnity, without discouragement, and he formed a hand seal—after all, the one who always had a hidden card was never Ciyin.

Yet, before he could act, the massive, ethereal figure of Yaozu on the Life Pattern suddenly paused, with three parts surprise, three parts horror, and four parts questioning, uttering heavily:

"Who?!"

Please visit: m.bqq999.cc