Chapter 861: Xu Shao's One Punch, The Half-Saint Successor Driven Mad

As soon as he spoke, the vast swarm of Black Heart Gu seemed to lose control, darting around erratically.

Duo'er had never before felt such overwhelming pressure from someone of the younger generation! Had she not already known Xu Xiaoshou's identity, and if someone were to tell her that the person standing before her was actually a 'Throne' realm expert, or even a 'Path-Severing' expert, Duo'er would believe it. Such an imposing aura, nearly solidifying, pressed down on Duo'er, making her head spin and her vision dim.

As a master of Black Heart Gu, she could normally survey the entire scene through the eyes of her insects. But now, facing Xu Xiaoshou head-on, her vision was suddenly limited to him alone. She could no longer focus on anything else within or outside the arena, only Xu Xiaoshou.

"Is he really just a Grandmaster?" Duo'er wondered, her heart filled with doubt. Even a Half-Saint's disciple couldn't possibly condense such a magnificent aura at this cultivation level and realm, could they?

His "Devour Mountains and Rivers" technique not only subdued Duo'er's vast Black Heart Gu army but also froze everyone outside the arena, preventing them from moving an inch. Jiang Xian, Tang Zheng, and the others remained outside, slightly stunned, not daring to even shift their weight.

Duo'er's lips thinned. She knew she wouldn't be getting any reinforcements.

"Bluffing!"

Muttering a curse, Duo'er cleared her mind of chaotic thoughts and regained control of her Black Heart Gu. With a flick of her spiritual thought, the vast swarm of Gu insects once again surged forward.

"Xu Xiaoshou, be careful..." Behind him, Xiao Wanfeng felt a surge of anxiety. Although the opposing technique hadn't fully materialized, the sheer intimidation it carried was overwhelming. It was a vast, oppressive black mass. For an ordinary sword cultivator, hacking at them with a sword, it would take three days and nights to clear them all, wouldn't it?

But obviously, Xu Xiaoshou was no ordinary sword cultivator. At this moment, he didn't even feel the urge to use his black sword, Cangku. As the massive swarm of Gu insects rushed towards him, Xu Xiaoshou remained utterly calm. With a casual backhand, he tucked Cangku – which was furiously vibrating and eager for battle – into his belt.

Then, he slowly extended a hand towards the front. A clean, unblemished hand with slender, elongated fingers.

"Watch carefully," Xu Xiaoshou murmured softly.

Everyone held their breath, their attention fixed. Even Jiang Xian was puzzled why Xu Xiaoshou had sheathed his sword at this moment, instead extending a palm that showed no spiritual energy. Wasn't he a sword cultivator?

Duo'er also squinted her eyes. From her perspective, the Black Heart Gu army had already enveloped Xu Xiaoshou. In just three breaths, her beloved Gu would send this 'arrogant' man to his grave!

"Buzz!"

Wherever the Gu insects passed, not a blade of grass remained.

Just as Xu Xiaoshou's figure was completely engulfed by the black swarm, and everyone's hearts leaped to their throats, the void suddenly froze. Everything in heaven and earth became still.

Space had been frozen once more!

"One punch..."

Amidst the vast, frozen blackness, that calm murmur suddenly sounded piercingly clear.

Following the murmur, everyone saw a dazzling light suddenly explode within the black Gu insect army. No one present had ever witnessed such a holy light! The light was so sacred it seemed to belong only to the heavens, so dazzling it appeared to come from a dream world. It seemed as if it shouldn't exist in this world at all, only in the most magnificent landscapes painted by an artist. But, it appeared! It had truly descended upon this world!

The instant the holy light exploded, everyone could see, within the Gu insect army, now almost devoid of color from the illumination, a backlit man gently clenched his hand. He curled his fingers into a fist. Just as he had declared earlier.

This punch, devoid of any spiritual energy fluctuation, retracted slightly in the void before striking out.

This punch... it was utterly unadorned. Extremely understated. Yet, it was this very punch, after all its power had nowhere else to settle, that slammed into the void...

Everyone was astonished. They thought the punch had missed, striking only air. But in the next second, they realized their mistake. No! That wasn't it. The target of Xu Xiaoshou's punch was precisely the air! Or more accurately, space itself!

"Boom—"

A deafening roar echoed. Everyone present felt their eardrums vibrate violently, as if they would rupture. Then, the void, struck by the punch, instantly shattered like a mirror world. The void cracks, resembling black lightning bolts, branched out and spread, like a disrupted Bagua array, instantly covering an area hundreds of feet in radius.

Space had fractured!

After the mirrored space collapsed, a massive black void appeared, directly cutting through the Gu insect army in the middle, splitting it into two halves. Finally, the punch's aftershock erupted, creating a terrifying wave of energy that pushed the Gu insects that had crossed the black fractured plane directly into the spatial turbulence.

"Hiss!"

Behind him, Xiao Wanfeng gasped so sharply he nearly choked. He stared blankly at the preceding scene... Xu Xiaoshou had used only one punch. But with just that single punch, he tore the void, severed mountains and rivers, and sent the endless Black Heart Gu army scattering?

"What kind of move is this?""A spiritual technique? A sword technique?""No, it doesn't look like a spiritual technique, and it certainly isn't a sword technique!""It looks more like pure... physical strength!"

Xiao Wanfeng was dumbfounded. He had long known of Xu Xiaoshou's sword, capable of a brilliance that could rip apart a galaxy. But he never imagined that after Xu Xiaoshou put away his sword, his bare physical strength, his single punch, could reach such a terrifying level, completely overwhelming any power from his peers.

Xu Xiaoshou... Is he even human?

Meanwhile, Duo'er, who had directly experienced the force of that punch, almost had her eyes pop out. Xu Xiaoshou's punch force had precisely sent only the Black Heart Gu that had crossed the boundary into the spatial fracture. If one were to say his power was inexhaustible, Duo'er was still struck by the remaining force of the punch, blasted back several steps, her entire body aching. If one were to say he had controlled it, could this terrifying punch still be him holding back, able to precisely control exactly how much power he wanted to unleash?

And! Could this truly be called "one punch"?

Duo'er's face suddenly twitched violently. If he had built up momentum and unleashed this supreme punch with all his spiritual energy, achieving such an effect, she could accept that. After all, Xu Xiaoshou was a Half-Saint's disciple; a full power outburst would be understandable.

But... his punch just now was merely a simple clench and strike, nothing more! Could such an ordinary-looking punch truly shatter space like that?

Feared, Passive Points +1.Respected, Passive Points +1225.Admired, Passive Points +648.

The Xu Xiaoshou's followers present were all dumbfounded. Was this Xu Xiaoshou's true strength? The saying 'one man holding a pass can deter ten thousand' probably didn't even capture this.

Having delivered his punch, Xu Xiaoshou now spread his hand open. He examined his fist; the point of impact was completely shattered, yet instantly repaired. He remained silent for a long time, marveling at the effect.

Too strong!

Although Xu Xiaoshou had imagined it long ago, he had wondered if, once his physical body reached the 'Throne' realm, and his 'Rebound' and 'Resilience' abilities also reached the 'Throne' realm, he could achieve the effect of shattering the void with a punch. But when that moment finally arrived, his heart swelled with emotion, and he couldn't pull himself away from the feeling.

He had done it! His full power strike could truly achieve this: the force would impact space but remain concentrated. After his physical body absorbed the rebound, he would then use 'Rebound' and 'Resilience' to remain stationary, returning double the force to space. This cycle would repeat, ultimately leading to the effect of shattering the void.

An ordinary 'Throne' realm physique could absolutely not achieve this with a single punch. The principle behind Xu Xiaoshou's ability to achieve such an effect was complex. If he were to truly explain it, even he would struggle. It was likely a mutual vibration between himself and space. At first, it couldn't shatter space. But when his physical strength reached its peak, and the vibration frequency between them per second reached an extreme, surpassing space's critical point, the force remained concentrated rather than dispersing, and space could no longer withstand it.

To put it simply, what appeared to outsiders as the void shattering instantly was actually, in the blink of an eye, experiencing an incredibly violent 'shaking back and forth' before finally exploding. Delivering that punch wasn't easy for Xu Xiaoshou himself. However, he possessed 'Conversion,' meaning the spatial rebound force could no longer harm him; instead, it only amplified the power he bounced back. Any remaining injuries would also be quickly healed by 'Everlasting Life' and similar abilities. This created the illusion that Xu Xiaoshou's seemingly effortless punch could easily shatter space...

"Tsk."

The atmosphere remained tense for a full ten breaths. Duo'er didn't dare launch a second attack. Xu Xiaoshou tutted, then smiled.

"I said one punch, and it was one punch. I'll give you two more chances to attack. If you can't take me down, I'll return that same punch to you." Xu Xiaoshou spoke as calmly as ever. It was as if the previous strike, despite its terrifying power, was completely within his control and had not exceeded his expectations.

Duo'er couldn't help but gulp, swallowing hard. She admitted she was terrified by her opponent. This was absolutely impossible for a Half-Saint's disciple! How could a mere Grandmaster so easily shatter space? Even a Throne realm expert couldn't do that!

Xu Xiaoshou saw her reaction and smiled faintly. "Dare not attack?"

Duo'er didn't respond; her mind was already set on retreating. So what if it's a spatial origin stone! Her main purpose for coming to the Yunlun Mountain Range wasn't even the spatial origin stone. If she couldn't reach the City in the Sky, she at least needed to complete the final stage of the Royal City trial and secure her qualification for the Holy Palace trial. Why bother getting entangled with a mere stowaway here?

The arena suddenly fell silent, plunged into utter stillness. This phenomenon was a vicious cycle. When a person's presence grew so overwhelming that even their opponent dared not speak carelessly, the spectators outside would only become more cautious, even controlling their breathing, fearing they might accidentally draw the attention of the 'Great Devil King.' And this, in turn, caused the atmosphere to sink further into a chilling silence.

In just an instant, Duo'er felt something was off. No sooner had a thought flashed through her mind than she suddenly felt the vast, icy aura press down on her slender shoulders once more.

She looked up. Xu Xiaoshou's impassive face infinitely magnified in her pupils, and his voice, like a phantom, scraped directly at her heart.

"Did I give you permission to be silent?!"

Boom. Duo'er's mind went blank. After that utterance, she felt Xu Xiaoshou's figure in front of her grow infinitely taller, solidifying into a towering giant. And she was merely an ant beneath this giant's feet. Life and death, insignificant!

"Ah—" Duo'er slammed to the ground with a thud, clutching her head and screaming frantically.

This time, no one noticed anything unusual; even Xu Xiaoshou himself thought his opponent was just having a breakdown. He was completely unaware that his "Devour Mountains and Rivers" at the Throne level had already fully materialized. It no longer needed a long build-up of aura. Instead, a moment of silence between the two sides was enough time for his aura to infinitely amplify the most vulnerable fears within his opponent's heart. And when fear took root, the enemy's true foe was no longer Xu Xiaoshou, but themselves.

Perhaps if the opponent were a Throne realm expert, the influence of "Devour Mountains and Rivers" wouldn't be so great. But Duo'er was merely a Grandmaster, fresh to the world, who hadn't even had time to glimpse a fraction of its dark depths. Such an extreme reaction was only natural. Xu Xiaoshou remembered the feeling of utter insignificance when looking up at the infinite giant in an illusion; at that time, he could barely stand straight, feeling as if he were facing a Half-Saint. Duo'er, experiencing this for the first time, fared even worse. When the god-like figure she revered in her heart stood up and fully materialized, if one did not possess a corresponding tyrannical will, it was akin to facing a true saint – utterly indefensible!

"Die, die, die...""Everyone die!"

Duo'er became frantic, her pupils dilated, and her hands flailed wildly. The vast Black Heart Gu army also began to scatter erratically; some rushed among Xu Xiaoshou's followers, others flew towards Jiang Xian. Most of them, however, swarmed together with a buzz and surged towards the 'god' Duo'er now perceived in her mind: Xu Xiaoshou!

"Gone mad?"

Xu Xiaoshou remained unfazed. He looked at Duo'er's state, seemingly gaining some insight but unable to confirm it. However, Black Heart Gu couldn't be ignored; its energy form dictated the torment inflicted once it entered a body. Xu Xiaoshou once again clenched his fist. This time, even Jiang Xian, standing outside, involuntarily took half a step back.

But at that crucial moment, Xu Xiaoshou seemed to recall something and stopped the punch he was about to unleash.

"Energy form..." He murmured, his eyes suddenly lighting up, and he cried out, "Great Feast!"

With a whoosh, a ferocious, millstone-sized Taotie beast head appeared behind him. It faced the chaotic swarm of Black Heart Gu before it, swallowed them in one gulp, and then vanished.

The world brightened! The seemingly endless Black Heart Gu army had been swallowed in a single gulp!

*Burp.*

Xu Xiaoshou felt his stomach swell, his spiritual sea threatening to burst. Spiritual energy overflowed, violently gushing from every pore on his body, and he couldn't help but let out a hearty burp. When he finally came to his senses and looked ahead, even he was astonished.

Gone? His "Great Feast" awakening skill, empowered by "Conversion," had just in one go cleared out *all* the Black Heart Gu army in energy form that had approached his body?

"This..."