Chapter 888: I Have Been Waiting for Quite Some Time...

Soul Reading seemed to allow one to experience the entire long life of the person being read.

In reality, however, the reading process always lasted only a fleeting moment.

This awakened ability carried immense risks!

The last time Xu Xiaoshou used "Soul Reading" on Yi, he was afraid of confronting a Half-Saint directly during the process. So, he held back, not wanting to view the other party's memories. The entire "Soul Reading" process was completed in an instant. However, due to his subjective intent, he hadn't fully immersed himself in Yi's soul at that time, and the images that flashed in his mind were only of complete darkness.

This gave Xu Xiaoshou a new realization. Perhaps "Soul Reading," like "Perception," allowed him to selectively ignore unwanted content when choosing to focus on specific aspects? For example, his reluctance to view Yi's soul memories might have turned "Soul Reading" into a simple mental control technique.

Xu Xiaoshou had no other choice. Yi was about to self-destruct. But there were other things he needed to know; otherwise, the Imitator would be useless. Therefore, he had to take the risk and try again!

Watching Yi's soul body rapidly expand, Xu Xiaoshou could only try to condense his "Perception" range, attempting to use the awakened ability again. This time, instead of seeing the opponent's entire life as before, he aimed for a more focused read.

The scene went black.

"I won't look!"

As expected, there were no soul memories, only darkness...

"Get out!"

Xu Xiaoshou's thoughts stirred again, and it felt as if his own soul was being pulled away, about to experience Yi's entire life.

But.

He suppressed this impulse.

"Waaah!"

After a baby's cry, he abruptly pulled his thoughts away.

"Skip!"

As predicted, Xu Xiaoshou skipped the subsequent period of Yi's life after birth...

It worked! This method was actually viable!

This meant that as long as a Half-Saint didn't suddenly appear and fixate their gaze on him, Xu Xiaoshou wouldn't have to directly confront one!

Xu Xiaoshou vaguely recalled that after entering the soul of the Blackhearted Mother Gu, he had indeed first encountered the Half-Saint Zang Ren. However, at that time, Half-Saint Zang Ren hadn't noticed his presence. Instead, the "Facing the Saint" sensation was triggered only after Zang Ren had summoned the Blackhearted Mother Gu and intended to enlighten it, bringing his eyes into full contact with the creature.

This was a crucial detail!

During his first few attempts at "Soul Reading," Xu Xiaoshou had been overly cautious due to unfamiliarity. But after the successful attempt to "not look" and "skip," he remembered. As long as he was careful, if there was even the slightest possibility of Yi having contact with a Half-Saint, he could simply skip that entire section of experience.

Even if he accidentally encountered a Half-Saint... It wouldn't matter. As long as their eyes didn't meet, the Half-Saint wouldn't detect him. "Facing the Saint" was a terrifying prospect, but with specific details and protective measures in place, it suddenly seemed less daunting.

Xu Xiaoshou continued to experience and skip, moving quickly. He was going through it very fast. He saw Yi's experience of acquiring the Imitator, saw Yi join the Assassin Temple's "Three Incense Sticks," saw Yi encounter an old woman on her last legs, and finally, Yi's absorption into the Anomaly Division...

Skip! Skip! Skip again!

Yi's soul memories were severely fragmented. After being struck twice by "Illusion Extinguishment Finger," the remaining soul fragments were pitifully few. Additionally, Xu Xiaoshou didn't dare to observe too closely... After Yi joined the Anomaly Division, there were too many variables. What if he had stumbled upon Dao Qiongcang on a small path in Gui'zhe Saint Mountain? So, Yi's life, as Xu Xiaoshou saw it, was very fragmented. He skipped furiously.

After Yi joined the Anomaly Division, and the scene flickered from black to white, Xu Xiaoshou skipped a large segment again, then saw...

Yi participated in the previous "Ten Honored Seats" event!

Skip! Damn it, skip everything! The last Ten Honored Seats represented the peak of combat power on the Saint God Continent for centuries! Figures like Kuileihan, the Eighth Sword Immortal, and Dao Qiongcang only achieved full renown after that battle. Xu Xiaoshou didn't even dare to look; he pulled the screen, directly skipping to Yi's experience of accepting the current Eastern Heavenly King City mission and appearing in the Yunlun Mountain Range.

Rao Yaoyao! The current highest authority of the Saint God Temple in the Yunlun Mountain Range was Rao Yaoyao. This meant that, theoretically, if he started viewing from this point, Yi wouldn't come into contact with a Half-Saint.

But there was always a slim chance...

Xu Xiaoshou proceeded cautiously, advancing the scene bit by bit. He saw the scene where Yi confronted "Saint Slave Xu Xiaoshou" on the long street of Eastern Heavenly King City, and he felt how utterly furious Yi had been after being toyed with by a junior at that time. He saw Rao Yaoyao, Ye Xiao, Yi, Wang Dachui, and others discussing and speculating about the "Life-Swallowing Wood Physique" and "Ultimate Life Demon Physique" from their main seats in the Cloud Realm World during the King City trial. He saw Yi tracking Mu Zixi for most of the day, finally seizing an opportunity to open a spatial boundary, transform into Young Master Xu, then Elder Sang, and use various deceptive tactics to interrogate her. He saw that crucial "fall"...

Elder Wuji's indifference and Yi's full-power attack in his Void Form nearly caused Xu Xiaoshou's mental state to collapse. The feeling of this immersive experience was terrifying, as if he had personally caused his junior sister's demise by dropping her. After understanding the full story, Xu Xiaoshou's murderous intent intensified; he wished he could slice Yi and Xuan Wuji into a thousand pieces.

The scene continued. Xu Xiaoshou saw the entire process of Yi being controlled to death by Xu Xiaoshou, Lei Xier, and Xuan Wuji, enduring two "Illusion Extinguishment Fingers," and then attempting self-destruction, along with everything leading up to it...

Every sensation!

In a flash of lightning, everything ended. "Soul Reading" had completed the long, fragmented life. However, the progression of reality had only moved forward to the instant Yi intended to self-destruct but was restrained by Xu Xiaoshou.

Just that instant!

The moment Xu Xiaoshou finished "Soul Reading," Yi's self-destruction, after half a breath of agonizing stagnation, still proceeded!

"Stop him!" Xu Xiaoshou roared, "He's not trying to self-destruct; he's trying to escape!"

Elder Wuji was startled. How could he escape? He also believed Yi wouldn't commit suicide, but with such a flawless setup and Yi so weak, how could he possibly flee? Xu Xiaoshou had never imagined that "Soul Reading" would prove so effective at the last moment, allowing him to discern Yi's true intention. But time was limited; how could he possibly explain everything to Elder Wuji?

"Up!" Xu Xiaoshou pointed to the sky. This was the direction Yi had aimed for in his escape during the final moments of the "Soul Reading." As long as he was intercepted, there shouldn't be any major problems...

But Elder Wuji remained impassive.

Yi's illusory soul body swelled, swelled, and swelled further... Until it reached its limit!

"Drip."

Suddenly, a faint sound emerged. Just as Xu Xiaoshou had discerned Yi's true intention, he didn't self-destruct. Instead, after his soul expanded to its limit, he squeezed out a final drop of soul blood. The moment this drop of soul blood appeared, Yi's condition instantly plummeted. Had his soul body been in its prime, it would never have been weakened to this extent by a single drop of soul blood. But now, his soul body was already on the verge of extinction. Nevertheless, the last drop of soul blood had been squeezed out.

Yi didn't understand how Xu Xiaoshou knew his plan. But at this moment, the agony from "Soul Reading" had not yet subsided, and Yi's condition, after expelling the last drop of soul blood, was rapidly deteriorating... Yi had no time to think. This was his last resort. Regardless of the situation, there was no room for maneuver.

"Soul Evasion Bell!"

An ancient bell materialized within the soul blood, then vibrated violently. Through "Soul Reading," Xu Xiaoshou fully understood the complete sequence of events unfolding. All the treasures in Yi's soul space were deliberately released for Xu Xiaoshou to take; Yi intended to create the impression that the Soul Evasion Bell was also lost, displaying his resolve to abandon everything.

Yes. Xu Xiaoshou had indeed obtained all the treasures from Yi's soul space, including many bell-shaped soul artifacts. However, he had only seen the Soul Evasion Bell once, and that was just a fleeting illusion. With Yi, its owner, present, he couldn't afford to examine these forcibly acquired items too closely; he could only leave them to the Yuan Mansion World to suppress. But after "Soul Reading," Xu Xiaoshou knew. Yi had used various treasures to pave his last path, trading them for the opportunity to store the Soul Evasion Bell within his soul blood for a final, explosive move.

"Boom!"

There was no more time to spare. As soon as the Soul Evasion Bell was conjured, Yi activated his soul blood and detonated it on the spot. In his estimation, the detonation of the Lost Divine Artifact, the Engraved Stele, would at the very least blast a hole through this space.

However, he had miscalculated.

Elder Wuji's hatred for Yi was clearly not a trivial matter. When the second-ranked Heavenly Divination术士 on the continent truly intended to give a Grand Void Realm expert no chance of survival, every possible escape route would be considered and sealed off. Amidst the rumbling explosion, the power of the Soul Evasion Bell directly shattered the surrounding space. The explosion was so powerful that it even caused the Great Dao of rules between heaven and earth to become visible.

But! Heavenly Divination runes also burst forth. In this space, Elder Wuji had, from the very beginning of his scheme to disregard Mu Zixi's life or death, set up a dense network of Heavenly Divination runes hidden within the Great Dao. This protective layer... There were a full hundred thousand layers! Yi's Soul Evasion Bell explosion, after shattering seventy percent of the Heavenly Divination rune network, finally dissipated, its power vanishing into nothingness.

"It failed..."

Yi's soul body was utterly pulverized by the explosion. His will, residing in an ancient bronze coin, watched the scene unfold, overwhelmed by endless despair. Not even the Soul Evasion Bell could breach the Heavenly Divination seal or provide any feedback to the outside world?

Xu Xiaoshou was also stunned. When the impenetrable Heavenly Divination rune network surrounding them hadn't appeared, he had indeed suspected Elder Wuji was deliberately holding back, intending to use Yi's hand to ambush and kill him. But now that he saw it... What immense hatred! To what extent did it reach? Could this hundred-thousand-layer Heavenly Divination rune network truly have been set up by human effort in the short time Yi was interrogating Mu Zixi?

"He still wants to run!" Xu Xiaoshou didn't ponder further. He saw Yi's ancient bronze coin. During "Soul Reading," he had glimpsed Yi's plan: to use the incredibly mysterious "God-Fleeing Coin" to store his spiritual will, and after the Soul Evasion Bell blew a hole in the sky, save himself and escape through that hole.

But human schemes often fall short of divine calculations. The hole didn't open. If Yi wanted to survive, only one path remained...

"Spatial Distortion!" Xu Xiaoshou looked at the large black hole before him, realizing Yi could only pass through the Spatial Distortion, bypass the Heavenly Divination seal, and randomly arrive at another location on the continent. He immediately turned to Elder Wuji.

Elder Wuji... was once again impassive. Just as before, when Xu Xiaoshou told him to defend the sky, he had taken no action.

Spatial Distortion? Elder Wuji had already anticipated all of Yi's retreat paths. If he, Xuan Wuji, decided to eliminate Yi tonight, and yet a former Saint Emperor could be allowed to escape by a mere Grand Void Realm expert using various tricks... Then the name Xuan Wuji might as well be written backward. He might as well commit suicide!

"Whoosh—"

Nothing was out of his expectation. When all of Yi's escape routes had been cut off save for the last one, he could only rely on the "God-Fleeing Coin," attempting to traverse the Spatial Distortion to find a final shred of hope for survival. The "God-Fleeing Coin" flew into the black hole, on the verge of vanishing into nothingness.

Unlike Elder Wuji's calm demeanor, Xu Xiaoshou immediately followed. Yi couldn't escape. Tonight, he had to die here. This guy knew too much; if the information got out, everything, from the First Heaven Pavilion to Young Master Xu... Everything would turn to naught!

Spatial Distortion.

The moment he entered the black hole, Xu Xiaoshou stopped. The Spatial Distortion, as he remembered it, was the most terrifying place in the world; only those who had achieved Dao Severing could safely cross it, and even Grand Void Realm experts couldn't linger for long. This place was constantly ravaged by spatial blades and spatial storms; it was a land of disaster. Even Dao Severing and Grand Void Realm experts could perish here if they were not careful.

But now that he had entered the Spatial Distortion, the situation was completely different from what he had expected. Before him, aside from the hundred thousand layers of Heavenly Divination runes densely enshrouding everything, there was no other anomaly.

Darkness... Nothingness... Where were the spatial blades? Where were the spatial storms? It was as if everything in this place had been shut out by the Heavenly Divination runes; there was nothing but chaos.

However. Spatial blades and spatial storms were to Spatial Distortion what the Great Dao of heaven and earth was to the Saint God Continent. Those were the fundamental rules of Spatial Distortion. How could Heavenly Divination be so powerful as to block all the fundamental rules that should exist within Spatial Distortion?

The only explanation...

"This place isn't Spatial Distortion!"

The "God-Fleeing Coin" was suspended ahead, and Yi also seemed stunned by the scene before him. Xu Xiaoshou lowered his head and stomped his foot. A solid sensation came from beneath his feet.

—Ground!

Was this the ground of another dimension? Why? Why did entering the black hole lead him not to the Spatial Distortion, but simply to another dimension? Xu Xiaoshou felt a surge of panic. All of this exceeded his understanding. He wondered if some powerful being had long discovered everything happening in this battle and had trapped them in advance.

A strange sensation from "Perception" made Xu Xiaoshou suddenly look up. The "God-Fleeing Coin" also shifted, turning towards another direction.

"Tap."

"Tap."

"Tap..."

Amidst the pervasive chaos, faint sounds echoed from afar. Each tap seemed to strike one's very soul, echoing endlessly and chilling one to the core. Lei Xier instantly appeared, but she, too, was stunned by the scene before them. Elder Wuji also moved to join them, then his expression changed. "Where is this?"

"Tap."

As the final faint tap settled, everyone simultaneously looked in the same direction. In the darkness not far away, a shadowy figure was vaguely outlined!

"Have you all come out?"

"I've been waiting for quite a while..."