Chapter 1654: Superpath Memory Guarding Reverse Attack, Tracing and Drawing Evil Pants Change Dragon

Ripples spread across the starry sky. The "Dragon" character vanished, and Sui Yin disappeared with it.

"He ran, he ran?!" Xu Xiaoshou, who had just managed to grasp the Sword of Four and was thinking of taking advantage of the Eighth Sword Immortal's presence to land another blow on Sui Yin and learn more tricks, was stunned. He had anticipated countless possibilities, but he never imagined that "escape" was still an option in Sui Yin's arsenal. "You're an Ancestral God! Your Reversal Forbidden Cycle hasn't even been used. Others can run, but how can you? Where is your dignity? You should be fearlessly annihilating the ants beneath your gaze, not... acting like a coward!"

"Spirit Sacrifice Banishment?" Dao Qiongcang was equally stunned by this art. He had witnessed Spirit Sacrifice Banishment before, and not just once. The most basic form of Spirit Sacrifice Banishment, starting at the level of the Five Decays of Heavenly Beings, allowed the user to vanish without a trace, making it impossible for Dao Qiongcang to track them. Later, the flashy old Daoist investigated and researched this forbidden art, confirming that its cost was the sacrifice of one's divine soul, leading to the loss of everything. To use it was to die. But if even those afflicted by the Five Decays of Heavenly Beings could use an immortal body to circumvent the cost of forbidden arts, how could Sui Yin, the progenitor of such arts, not have a way?

"Using the Primordial True Stele: Dragon to protect himself, allowing him to escape to a specific point without truly dying?" "No, the art of a Heavenly Being might be a fixed point, but Sui Yin's might not be." "Furthermore..." Dao Qiongcang had no time to be shocked; the scene of Sui Yin using this art before flashed through his mind. Yes, this "Forbidden Spirit Sacrifice Banishment" had been used by Sui Yin once before—in the Divine Ruins, its effect was an evolved version of the Five Decays of Heavenly Beings. At that time, Sui Yin was targeting Xu Xiaoshou, trying to catch him off guard. Had it been anyone else, being ambushed by a forbidden art-level escape technique would have resulted in death or severe injury. Yet, Xu Xiaoshou's Great Oblivion Art caused Sui Yin to lose his target, and then he even used a Record Bead to push Dao Qiongcang out, making others bear the karmic consequences for him.

That wasn't important. Dao Qiongcang considered himself not a petty person and wouldn't deliberately remember trivial details. *Every use leaves a trace*—this was important! Once or twice was fine, but not thrice. Dao Qiongcang enjoyed tricking others, but he absolutely disliked being played for a fool himself. Therefore, when the "Dragon" character vanished and Sui Yin's escape occurred, two contingency plans immediately surfaced in Dao Qiongcang's mind: "Spirit Sacrifice Banishment" and "Forbidden Spirit Sacrifice Banishment."

Essentially, it wasn't just Spirit Sacrifice Banishment. All arts Sui Yin had used, including "Rootless Phase Eye," "Illusory Reality Transformation," "Art Dog Feast," "Divine Hidden Return to Ruins"... Dao Qiongcang had analyzed and prepared for every one he had witnessed. He was always on guard, lest he himself become the target one day and regret having no countermeasure. This caution extended beyond Sui Yin to include Shen Yi, Xu Xiaoshou, Cao Yihan, and even Ba Zun'an, who was as elusive as a divine dragon—he was wary of all ancient martial arts and sword arts they had used. Outsiders might think such meticulousness made his life tiring, but Dao Qiongcang reveled in the feeling of having everything under control. Just like now! When Sui Yin's art changed, youngsters like Xu Xiaoshou and old veterans like Ba Zun'an could only sigh in helplessness. Dao Qiongcang swiftly formed a hand seal, and a mystical light shot out into the sky, perfectly timed.

"Thirty-six Forms of Heavenly Secrets, Great Tracing Art!" "The Dao comes in dreams, pure essence I invite into my heart." What followed, or how powerful this sword strike was, Xu Xiaoshou no longer knew. The person was gone, the sword empty. Ba Zun'an had withdrawn his stance. Just as Xu Xiaoshou was about to give up on Sui Yin and also abandon that seemingly powerful Primordial True Stele, Dao Qiongcang, beside him, cast a spell with a huge commotion. This sly schemer perfectly demonstrated the tactic of "you advance, I retreat; you retreat, I relentlessly pursue, refusing to let go, tearing off a piece of your flesh even if I can't break through."

*Om!* An illusory Profound Truth Array unfolded. It was almost ethereal, like a light-and-shadow bubble, seeming to barely exist. "So beautiful!" This was the first time Xu Xiaoshou saw the flashy old Daoist stepping not on his usual ostentatious "Firmament Scroll," which he used to fool others. That scroll was grandly touted as being "comparable to profound truths." In reality, anyone who saw it would immediately realize it was merely similar in appearance, a mere comparison, far from true profound truth level. Was this perhaps the effect the flashy old Daoist intended? But this time was different; what he stepped on was definitely a genuine Grand Dao Profound Truth Array of the same quality as Elder Sang's or the Water Ghost's.

"No!" "Even more profound!" Xu Xiaoshou only glanced at it, his pupils trembling slightly. Judging by the complexity and exquisiteness of this array, it had likely reached the height of his own three great Dao Discs of Body, Spirit, and Mind, which was... Level 90, Transcendent Dao Transformation? Moreover, the array was illusory, not as tangible as the Water and Fire Dao, clearly not one of the mainstream Spirit Refiners' Five Elements or their evolved attribute Daos. "Is it... the Dao of Memory?" A flash of inspiration struck Xu Xiaoshou's mind, and he remembered this niche, special Dao that he might not have known about if he hadn't delved into the Great God Descent Art.

The flashy old Daoist was always comprehending strange things... No, it should be said that if he mastered the profound truths of mainstream attributes, the Five Great Saint Emperor Families would know his talent. This Dao of Memory, normally unused, manifested primarily as passive or invisible effects. He had cultivated it to Level 90, and this was its first public appearance. How could he be so patient? And these "onlookers"... Xu Xiaoshou looked around. Leaving aside those who no longer even had bodies, he was the only one truly witnessing and capable of recording the scene. But given the vastly different reputations of "Malicious Saint Slave Xu" and "Dao Hall Master," if he were to spread word across the Five Regions of the continent that Dao Qiongcang had mastered the profound truth of memory, and the latter tried to refute it, who would people believe?

"What a master of feigning weakness!" Xu Xiaoshou gritted his teeth, pulled out a Record Bead, and began recording. He might not be believed, but he *had* to record it. At worst, he'd send it directly to the Five Great Saint Emperor Families. It didn't matter if they didn't believe him; once a seed of doubt was planted, subsequent verifications would always make life difficult for them. Xu Xiaoshou considered himself someone who rarely did things that harmed others without benefiting himself, but if the target was the flashy old Daoist... "Sorry, your suffering makes me happy."

*Buzz, buzz, buzz!* As the Profound Truth Array of Memory unfurled, heavenly mystical light swept in all directions. The entire ruined Divine Ruins battlefield was like being doused with luminol, illuminating every obscure, impure trace that had ever existed. On stones, broken branches, withered roots... on mountains, dried lakes, shattered weapons... all living and inanimate objects, whether sentient or not, lit up with dense, eye-catching Heavenly Secret patterns. Individually, these patterns were tiny and harmless, yet they created an immense visual impact. —Handshake patterns!

"It's all 'handshakes'?" Xu Xiaoshou's gaze swept across, and the entire First Heaven was covered in these Heavenly Secret patterns, all part of the flashy old Daoist's contingency plans. His mind connected to the Heavenly Realm Core, and he found the Eighteenth Heaven likewise, and the dim Thirty-Third Heaven too. Even the Heavenly Realm Core itself and the newly sprouted Holy Infant-Forming Plant rooted within it bore friendly handshake patterns.

Beyond that... Xu Xiaoshou looked at himself, affected by the heavenly mystical light, and found patterns on his hands too. His internal vision showed his bones and meridians were also "friendly." He was stunned. He thought he had dealt with all the Great God Descent Art imprints on his body, but apparently not. His face darkened as he pulled out the Saint Ancestor Stone Tablet that Dao Qiongcang had touched before, letting it "bathe" in the mystical light... Handshake! He pulled out the Suijun Shield... Handshake! He pulled out treasures from within the Shield Treasure World, specifically those Dao Qiongcang hadn't touched... Still handshake!

"You damn bastard, you don't even need to touch, just looking is enough to get someone 'pregnant'?!" Xu Xiaoshou couldn't hold back, throwing a punch at Dao Qiongcang. Dao Qiongcang, seemingly trusting his "comrade" with his back, ignored Xu Xiaoshou's curses and took the punch head-on. He grunted softly, then discreetly suppressed the "traces" traced by the Great Tracing Art in the vicinity, especially those related to Xu Xiaoshou. "An accident," he muttered sheepishly. Only then did he extend the art's influence to the starry sky.

In the starry sky, as soon as Dao Qiongcang made his move, countless Heavenly Secret Puppets simultaneously cast their spells. Tens of millions of Great Tracing Arts converged, pushing a colossal light wave at near light speed through the starry void. A winding, illusory, mysterious long river appeared, its origin nameless, its end fading in the direction where Sui Yin had last been. As if making amends, Dao Qiongcang volunteered an explanation: "This is the 'River of Memory.'" "My Great Tracing Art will trace all the imprints I've encountered and 'accidentally' left behind in my River of Memory."

Xu Xiaoshou slapped him on the back of the head again: "Was your 'accidentally' intentional, or truly accidental?" Dao Qiongcang acted as if he heard and felt nothing, simply enduring Xu Xiaoshou's slap. He wouldn't give Xu Xiaoshou the chance to draw his sword and say, "I'm also very 'accidentally' clumsy," and simply continued his explanation: "My Great Tracing Art, if Sui Yin were in peak condition, would surely be detected, and he would cut off the trace." "But your combined sword power has reached a point where it can threaten an Ancestral God; it's truly terrifying." "Sui Yin, wary of your swords, would surely not dare to linger and would only flee for his life, not looking back for a short time." "But he is, after all, an Ancestral God, and I am merely an unknown nobody." He paused, then turned his head, gravely stating, "This art will surely be broken in an instant... Do we pursue?"

The question was "Do we pursue?" The implication, however, was none other than "Do you want the Primordial True Stele?" It had to be said, the Dao Hall Master's skill at changing the subject had reached the Transcendent Dao Transformation realm; Xu Xiaoshou couldn't resist. Knowing time was truly short, his thoughts immediately shifted. Of course he wanted it! What he currently held was just a tiny bit of the Dragon Ancestor's power. If that "Dragon" character was as mysterious as Ba Zun'an had said, the value of this pursuit would be equivalent to entering the Sword Pavilion with Liu Fuyu—and who knew what risks the latter would encounter! Sui Yin's strength, however, was quantifiable. His state was too weak; Xu Xiaoshou had been observing him from start to finish. Moreover, the "Dragon" character was clearly incompatible with him, only barely able to protect his soul and allow him to escape using Spirit Sacrifice Banishment. If Xu Xiaoshou truly managed to get his hands on it... Successor of the Heavenly Ancestor, plus Successor of the Dragon Ancestor. If he encountered Sui Yin again, he could directly summon a large eyeball, then summon an Ancestral Dragon, then defend against an "Art Dog Feast," and decisively invite Ba Zun'an... "From the start, you would have lost your bargaining chips with me!"

One breath. Two breaths. After three breaths, Dao Qiongcang spoke directly: "The 'Dragon' character cannot belong to you, of course. We will study it together, but if there's a Dragon Ancestor's legacy, it's yours." "It would have been much better if you just gave it to me, I would have refused then..." Xu Xiaoshou looked over, coldly retorting, "I'm afraid you'll backstab me." "I'm afraid too, Master Xu," Dao Qiongcang replied with a wry smile. "I don't ask for much; I can't concede any further." "Alright! Whoever betrays—" "Is a dog!"

*Whoosh! Whoosh!* In the starry sky, the River of Memory surged. A faint silver light, winding for hundreds of thousands of miles, stretched from one end of the Divine Ruins plane to another unknown end.

Wandering... endlessly wandering... No one could see that along this faint silver line, two utterly invisible and intangible figures were rapidly drawing closer. The starry sky was silent, devoid of any sound. It was as if from ancient times, everything had been at peace, and this tranquility would not be broken.

After an unknown period, "Break!" Within a collapsing stellar black hole, the "Dragon" character first materialized, followed by wisps of purple mist wafting out. Sui Yin's Spirit Sacrifice Banishment had stopped within this black hole. He expended considerable effort to forcibly borrow more power from the unwilling "Dragon" character. *Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle...* The purple mist split and repaired itself. Sui Yin barely managed to gather a sliver of his own divine consciousness. He swept his gaze around; the starry sky was boundless but desolate, with nothing discernible. Even his current refuge, this black hole, required him to borrow the "Dragon" character's power to resist its self-collapsing force. This meant constant depletion. Yet, precisely because it was a black hole, if any danger arose, even danger itself would not dare approach.

*Cackle, cackle, cackle...* Sui Yin surveyed his surroundings and burst into laughter, though there was a hint of bleakness in his mirth. He hated them! He hated Shen Yi, hated Dao Qiongcang, and especially hated that damned Xu Xiaoshou! His revival plan had originally been progressing steadily. He had devoured so many demi-saints and their statuses, and even seized the inheritance ground of Ran Ming. Building upon this foundation, he could have recuperated and then marched upon the Sacred God Continent, taking whatever he wanted, couldn't he? But now... because of the appearance of those three, his plans had been repeatedly interrupted, and variables had constantly arisen. Ultimately, one disaster piled upon another, small scars turned into gaping wounds, making recovery impossible, leading to his complete defeat.

Sui Yin was unwilling! He was too unwilling! He reviewed everything again. Whether it was Shen Yi, Dao Qiongcang, or Xu Xiaoshou... Without exception, if he had just taken any of them seriously from the very beginning, just for a moment! One by one, they could have all been slaughtered, following normal procedures, killed, devoured, and transformed into nutrients to nourish himself. No accidents would have occurred! Their strongest combat strengths couldn't have defeated him!

"But accidents and variables have occurred... Why? And where did they originate?" Sui Yin pondered, utterly bewildered. All he could recall were trivial, insignificant details. No matter how he pieced them together, those things shouldn't have led to his current miserable state, right? On one side, an Ancestral God, a genuine Ancestral God! On the other side, a demi-saint, a Void, a Dao-Severing expert. How could he have lost? What a great start! Waking up as an Ancestral God, with the Ancestral Tree and Infant-Forming Plant under his command, and even controlling an entire Divine Ruins... Where exactly did he lose? Sui Yin thought and thought, but still couldn't quite grasp it. It was then that he understood: those few people were absolutely extraordinary, each possessing the bearing of an Ancestral God. From the moment he harbored "self-conceit," he had already lost.

"And!" Sui Yin still felt something was off. The last boy who wielded the sword, Xu Xiaoshou, gave him a horrifying feeling, a strength far beyond what he had previously displayed. From the Sword of Unrestrained Desire, and including it, each sword strike was stronger than the last. It was as if he had been possessed by a Sword Ancestor; the sudden burst of power was so unexpected. Sui Yin had not activated "Reversal Forbidden Cycle" in the end because he knew that while it could be used against Shen Yi, given that Shen Yi had no follow-up, using it against Xu Xiaoshou—what then? Dao Qiongcang was still there, Shen Yi's soul might still be able to sacrifice itself, not to mention that invisible, intangible "Sword Ancestor" who supposedly possessed Xu Xiaoshou! Who could it be? Was there another one like Xu Xiaoshou with the demeanor of a Dao God on the Sacred God Continent?

Sui Yin sighed, abandoning his thoughts. It didn't matter if his revival plan was ruined, and it didn't matter if his Divine Ruins base was lost. "As long as the green mountains remain, there will be wood to burn." He pulled out the Primordial True Stele he had brought with him. "Dragon..." This was an unexpected gain from this trip. The treasure carried by that Saint Emperor Wang Ze surpassed his original plan. With this object, once thoroughly refined, even if he could only forcefully control it, its value was not much less than an entire Divine Ruins. This revival journey had already yielded more than enough; it wasn't a loss... It *was* a loss! Still a loss! The more he thought, the more he felt it was a loss!

"Shen Yi! Dao Qiongcang! Kuilei Han! Water Ghost! And you... Xu Xiaoshou!" Sui Yin gritted his teeth, remembering three people and many names. Ten thousand years! He wouldn't need long, just another ten thousand years of slumber, and he would be able to recover one or two tenths of his pre-God Wars state. If these people were still alive then, revenge wouldn't be too late. However, the great era had arrived. In ten thousand years, if those three happened to gain opportunities, wouldn't they reach peak strength in just two or three hundred years? "Ten thousand years is too long, I only seize the day!"

Just as he was deep in thought, Sui Yin suddenly heard a voice transmission, causing his mind to tremble. Xu Xiaoshou? How was he here? Impossible, he had used Spirit Sacrifice Banishment to escape this far, leaving not a single trace... "Great God Descent Art?" In his mind, the scene from the Eighteenth Heaven appeared: Dao Qiongcang had finished speaking, then descended from the sky with an ancient martial body, transforming into Kuilei Han and attacking, forcing Sui Yin to hide in the tower. At that time, the Dao he wielded was the Dao of Memory, profoundly comprehended. Sui Yin swept his gaze, focusing on the Dao of Memory, and sure enough, behind him, he saw a silver trace. His heart finally sank into his... well, he had no heart, nor backside.

Sui Yin's spirit turned to ash. Soon, he saw two figures emerge upon the silver trace used for tracing: one Dao, one Xu. "Heh." He chuckled softly. Purple mist billowed, and a divine seat coalesced, followed by his three-headed, six-armed soul-body, which then lazily reclined upon it. "As I expected." Sui Yin's three large eyes nonchalantly glanced towards the past, present, and future, extending a hand, lightly spread open, and chuckled, "There are thousands of Daos, yet you chose to walk into a trap."

"Pfft!" A burst of uncontrollable laughter erupted. From the sound, one could tell a good deal of spit had been sprayed. Sui Yin's brow furrowed as he stared at Xu Xiaoshou, who showed no respect for hierarchy. "Apologies, I usually keep a straight face," Xu Xiaoshou said, wiping his mouth and waving his hand awkwardly. Sui Yin remained indifferent. He saw no reverence for an Ancestral God, nor fear of the "larger scheme," in this mortal's eyes. Turning his head, Sui Yin looked at Dao Qiongcang. This fellow, even facing imminent death, was still twirling two large walnuts in his hand, as if the "grand trap" he had set during his escape was merely a figment of his imagination.

"Heh." Sui Yin smiled, closing his eyes, lightly resting his fingertips on his thigh, elegantly pronouncing their death sentence: "Ten breaths. Leave your last words."

"Pfft!" Xu Xiaoshou burst out laughing again. It was too much! This Sui Yin was truly the most ridiculous Ancestral God he had ever seen. Looking at him was like seeing his weaker self from back then, when he faced the Anomalies, the Yellow Springs, Rao Yaoyao, Jiang Buyi... "I got here step by step, 'playing the pig to eat the tiger'!" You're doing a terrible job acting, my dear Sui Yin!

His smile vanished instantly. Xu Xiaoshou didn't even leave Sui Yin a chance for last words, immediately drawing the Sword of Four. What was his greatest fear back then? Reckless men!

"Dao!" With this heavy shout, Sui Yin's body on the divine seat trembled, his foot missing its step. His materialized body shattered instantly, transforming into a stream of light with the help of the "Dragon" character, fleeing into the distance without a backward glance.

"Great Confinement Art!" Dao Qiongcang raised both hands, and over twenty million Heavenly Secret Puppets simultaneously emerged from the void, each raising their arms as well. The formation instantly took shape. It was evident that Sui Yin was truly weak, so weak that he "thumped" back after hitting the barrier, dizzy and disoriented. His eyes immediately turned bloodshot. He extended a finger, formed a hand seal, and loudly cried out: "Forbidden Reversal—"

But Xu Xiaoshou was a step ahead of him, stepping onto his Dao Disc of Arts. He extended a finger, formed a hand seal, and loudly cried out: "Art: Heaven-Swapping Sun-Shifting!" With a gentle rub of his fingertips, the "Dragon" beneath Sui Yin's feet was no more; it had turned into underwear. The underwear in Xu Xiaoshou's hand was no more; it had turned into...