Chapter 1676: Received Divine Descending Technique Is Not False, Kitchen Painting Transforms and Revitalizes

A butterfly might not be strong on its own, but the storm effect brought by its flapping wings can be powerful. Especially when the arrival of that storm isn't an accident but part of a meticulous and comprehensive plan.

"It seems the time left for me is indeed limited...""Why does Elder Sang's gaze remind me a bit of that flashy old Daoist before he left the Divine Relic? Is it because he's suddenly donned the grand cloak of a chess master?"On Mount Guizhe, after listening to Elder Sang's explanation, Xu Xiaoshou felt time was incredibly pressing. He silently activated "Solitary Existence" and slipped into the Divine Relic. Jin Ren took his place, returning to the holy mountain to maintain a "theatrical" balance.

The grand play on the holy mountain was still ongoing... specifically, a "stalemate"! On the surface, Master Shou couldn't do anything to Ai Cangsen, and Ai Cangsen couldn't do anything to Master Shou. As long as the person in the wheelchair could endure, and other Half-Saints didn't forcibly intervene, no one would gain an advantage in this round. But in reality...

"Passive Points: 12,120,015."After returning to the Divine Relic, Xu Xiaoshou gravely bid farewell to Elder Sang and others in the first heaven. Everyone was in a somber mood, understanding that the Holy Slaves' plan had significantly impacted Master Shou. He needed time to process it alone. Coincidentally, Elder Sang and the others also needed time to rest and recuperate; mutual non-interference was a courtesy among adults.

"He's too tired..."Watching Xu Xiaoshou, shoulders slumped, walk alone towards the thirty-third heaven, Elder Sang and Water Ghost felt a pang in their hearts. He was so young, only in his twenties. To tell him all this and burden him with such heavy pressure..."We really aren't human!"

Arriving at the thirty-third heaven, Xu Xiaoshou entered a deserted environment. In the dimness, a long, quiet, and cautious sigh of relief escaped him. His lips twitched, seemingly from immense pressure. His breathing gradually accelerated from tension and excitement. His eyelids twitched, his nostrils flared, and he finally succumbed to the endless pressure, bowing his back, then suddenly..."Hahahaha!""Hee-haw, hee-haw, hee-hee-haw!""Just half an hour! Half an hour, and I've got over ten million..."The manic laughter abruptly stopped. Xu Xiaoshou reined in his frenzy, glancing left and right, his eyes cold and slightly narrowed. If he remembered correctly, that flashy old Daoist had been to the thirty-third heaven; he shouldn't be too unrestrained..."Hahahaha!""Ten million! What's wrong with being a little unrestrained, huh?!" Xu Xiaoshou suddenly burst into laughter again, veins bulging on his forehead, tears streaming from his eyes. The flashy old Daoist had been here, but why should he fear him? Was he the same person he was back then? Even if Dao Qiongcang came here, would he dare to use the Great Divine Possession Art on him in his perfect state?

Previously, after Dao Qiongcang's departure from the Divine Relic and Xu Xiaoshou's subsequent "enlightenment," he re-examined the Great Divine Possession Art from the elevated perspective of his Dao-transcendent Mind Plate. He noticed many clues. The Dao of Memory was powerful; a single glance could mark someone like a dog marking its territory. However, Dao Qiongcang's Great Divine Possession Art had never been used on true powerhouses like Ba Zun'an, Shen Yi, or Kong Yühen. He only dared to bully the weak, such as the female guard by Aunt Xiang's side, his own weakened clone Jin Ren who he couldn't even successfully possess, and the combination of Cao Erzhu and Shen Yi's soul, trapped in the thirty-third heaven and desperate for survival. Why? Xu Xiaoshou might not have been so certain before, but now he was absolutely sure... because he didn't dare! Why didn't he dare? He just didn't dare! To put it bluntly, Dao Qiongcang was... "weak"! His strength lay in his unfathomable application of the Dao of Memory and his ability to use the most unsettling Great Divine Possession Art at the most opportune moments, thereby infinitely amplifying its deterrent power, making it seem as if this move had no upper limit, able to possess anyone and kill whoever was possessed. But in reality, the Great Divine Possession Art had significant limitations. Because Dao Qiongcang's own combat power, when compared to the combat-oriented Ten Honored Ones, was truly inadequate. This was evident from the fact that even when he activated his Three Qiongcang Form, he still borrowed power from other Ten Honored Ones.

Dao Qiongcang's own combat power might not be low, but his limit was set; it was absolutely not as boundless as that of an ancient sword cultivator. Therefore, when the Great Divine Possession Art was cast, it meant he temporarily abandoned his physical body, his consciousness going to "take over" a new body. After this, there was still a process: Dao Qiongcang would recall his main body, transforming it into a card-like existence, and insert it into his new body. At this point, a complete cycle ended. Dao Qiongcang would evolve, gaining the abilities of the possessed and all his own original abilities. This cycle would repeat, the snowball growing larger and larger, and he would learn more and more. However, no matter how infinitely non-repeating the decimal 3.14 became, it would never be greater than 3.15. Just as no matter how Dao Qiongcang possessed others, as long as the possessed person's strength was weaker than his, his frontal combat power would never be able to withstand a single vertical cleave from the constantly improving Overlord of Rounding Shen Yi.

Of course, he could directly possess 3.15. But 3.15 was 3.15 precisely because it was powerful enough on its own."The Ten Honored Ones won't give him a chance.""And I won't give him a chance either.""Therefore, as long as someone can interrupt his action of inserting the card into the possessed body after the divine possession, even if there's just a possibility, Dao Qiongcang won't dare to use it!"In other words, as long as his own state was perfect enough... no, as long as his state wasn't too weak. Dao Qiongcang wouldn't dare to use the Great Divine Possession Art even if he had the courage of a bear and a leopard, as he was fundamentally a very cautious person. After experiencing all the battles, large and small, in the Divine Relic, Xu Xiaoshou understood: The Great Divine Possession Art was essentially a combined skill of marking, teleportation, and body snatching. Most Spirit Refiners could piece together similar skills from their own spirit techniques. So... the true anomaly was never the Great Divine Possession Art itself, but Dao Qiongcang. What was truly powerful was not Dao Qiongcang as an individual, but his meticulous preparation before casting the Great Divine Possession Art, his composure afterward, and the deliberately mystifying way he presented the art. It wasn't invincible, yet it was packaged as such—this was Dao Qiongcang's unfathomable quality.

"Swish, swish, swish!"Xu Xiaoshou casually tossed out several thought avatars, dispersing them across the thirty-third heaven."My name is Ba Zun'an.""My name is Cao Yihan.""My name is Dao Qiongcang."The three most eye-catching figures announced their names upon landing, then began to dance with swords, manipulate lightning, and, in one instance, pull out a mirror to preen. Xu Xiaoshou, with a solemn expression, raised two fingers of his left hand before his nose, mimicking the way Chong Yin cast spells, pressing the tip of his middle finger against the back of his index finger and gently sliding it down. For Chong Yin, this gesture might have allowed for a greater synergy with the Heavenly Dao, accelerating the casting process, or even resembling the Unity of Heaven and Man, amplifying the spell's inherent power. For Xu Xiaoshou, it held no actual meaning. However, it effectively conveyed a clear impression of "I am powerful," "I am casting a spell," and "you can feel the pressure now."

Xu Xiaoshou let out a cold shout: "Shou's Great Divine Possession Art!"In the distance, "Ba Zun'an," who was dancing with a sword, had the "mark" instantly activated in his mind. This mark, originating from the Mind Plate, required no contact and could be placed with just a glance. The mark released a thought, forcibly implanted by the Dao-transcendent Mind Plate, as if it were born naturally with the person: "Ah, it turns out my entire life of cultivation has been awaiting this moment, waiting to complete this next action.""I! With my piety, with my flesh and blood, summon my Ancestor Shou to descend and bless my body!"Ba Zun'an chanted, suddenly dropping to one knee, hands raised high, and loudly proclaimed: "Great Divine Possession Art!"As soon as he spoke, his head sank into his chest, his chest into his abdomen, his abdomen into his buttocks, and his limbs wriggled, dissolving into blood... Ba Zun'an's entire body turned inside out, a horrifying sight that filled all who witnessed it with terror, knowing that a horror was reviving, a strangeness descending.The next instant, Xu Xiaoshou spatially shifted, vanishing from his spot, and casually stepped out from the pile of flesh and blood that was Ba Zun'an. He deliberately smeared himself with sticky liquid, ensuring that if Xiao Wanfeng saw him, his only option after the initial terror would be to run for his life. He also pulled out a wooden, exquisite nanmu comb, inlaid with golden beads, capable of showing the owner's rather twisted taste. As he walked, he slowly combed his greasy hair. At the same time, he uttered modulated, rather baffling sounds: "Ah! What delicious air, it's been too long!"

The 'perverted Shou' who had descended from Ba Zun'an suddenly exploded into a puddle of blood.Meanwhile, on another side, Kui Leihan suddenly knelt, hands raised high: "Great Divine Possession Art!"And on yet another side, Dao Qiongcang also abruptly knelt, doing the same: "Great Divine Possession Art!"Each produced half of Xu Xiaoshou through divine possession. The two bloody halves of Xu Xiaoshou converged in the middle. After a cold laugh, they poked their fingertips together and passionately shouted: "Combine!"With a boom, golden light shone brightly, and "Shou" and "Master" combined to become "Master Shou."

"Flashy old Daoist, you deceived me miserably!" Xu Xiaoshou gnashed his teeth, one after another descending from his thought avatars, from flowers, grass, wood, and stone... Everything he had seen was marked. From now on, he too would adopt this good habit of marking everywhere. One day, he would make the Great Divine Possession Art of the Mind Plate descend upon a weakened Dao Qiongcang, perhaps even directly onto his Grand Dao of Memory. He would let that flamboyant fellow taste what it felt like to be scared by someone pretending to be a ghost!

"Phew..."After fully cultivating the Great Divine Possession Art that he had rehearsed countless times in his mind, and verifying that he too could achieve "unfathomable" mastery, Xu Xiaoshou felt at ease. He chuckled triumphantly once more, then his expression sobered as he looked back at his passive points reserves.Minor tricks might influence a battle, but they couldn't decide it at a critical moment. If everyone knew you were Shen Yi, capable of rounding, and you had the determination to fight to the death, naturally no one would dare to provoke you easily!

"Passive Points: 12,120,015."How could over twelve million passive points be best used to maximize combat power? Earlier, when his comprehension of the Grand Dao couldn't keep up, when he was fooled by the Great Divine Possession Art and intimidated by the Water Mystic, Xu Xiaoshou had unhesitatingly chosen to recklessly upgrade his "Grand Dao Plates." But now, his Body, Spirit, and Mind Dao Plates were Dao-transcendent, and his Space, Life, and Sword Dao Plates were Mysticized. He had the resistances provided by the three basic plates, no longer affected by various direct or roundabout guidance, and could even guide others in turn. His attack, speed, defense, and stamina were also maximized; he could combine and utilize them however he wished. To recklessly upgrade other Grand Dao Plates, even to 80 or 90... For example, making a Dao-transcendent Spell Plate to replicate all of Chong Yin's spells; or specializing in the Time Dao Plate to help Kong Yühen understand the mysteries of time, or even get lost in time with him. These options held little significance; at best, they were icing on the cake—something to play with when passive points were abundant.So, what would be truly beneficial in dire need?

Xu Xiaoshou looked at the two "Throne Lv.1" passive skills that seemed out of place among his "Holy Emperor Lv.0" skills: the mastery-type passive skills. After recklessly upgrading them to Holy Emperor Lv.0, combined with his current major abilities and his evolved way of thinking, he could definitely perform wonders. Tier 4 skill points weren't expensive, at 50,000 passive points each. One million points would be enough to fully upgrade these two major passive skills, granting him a whole new level of enjoyment in "Cooking" and "Art" at the Half-Saint level... This was excellent! This would definitely change his current combat style!

Of course, there was another path. Xu Xiaoshou's keen gaze fell upon the Awakening Panel, which he hadn't dared to look at for a long time, primarily focusing on the secondary awakening passive skills."Robustness – Frenzied Giant – Extreme Giant.""Agility – Instant Ascension – Divine Agility Moment.""Stealth – Vanishing Art – Solitary Existence."Awakening Stones, at 100,000 each, were also not expensive. The awakening probability was quite fair; on average, one million passive points could yield a super-powerful secondary awakening passive skill."Which path is better?" Xu Xiaoshou stroked his chin.Thinking back, he had only recklessly upgraded his Grand Dao Plates before, not bothering with secondary awakening skills. One reason was, of course, that the Half-Saints he encountered were all extraordinary in their comprehension of the Grand Dao, making him feel outmatched and necessitating the Grand Dao Plate upgrades first. Another reason, however, wasn't that secondary awakenings were weak or sufficient, but that activating "Extreme Giant," "Divine Agility Moment," and "Solitary Existence"—these three secondary awakening skills—consumed too much! So much so that Xu Xiaoshou couldn't activate all three simultaneously, or rather, he had to pay a huge price to briefly activate them. His main body's shock after tearing apart the Qilin in the Middle-Yuan World was a stark reality.But now, the situation was clearly different. With his Body, Spirit, and Mind Dao Plates Dao-transcendent, Life Mysticized, plus his Devouring Body, if he truly couldn't endure, he could even activate the Human Path of the Six Paths to steal others' power... Xu Xiaoshou had many ways to continue his monstrously sustained recovery, evolving monstrously again to replenish himself when he couldn't withstand the secondary awakening's consumption. If all else failed, Shield Treasure had many holy medicines he could consume. With these, he could largely sustain "Extreme Giant" and complete a high-intensity battle. Time had also propelled him to this current crossroads where he could make a normal choice regarding his evolution path.

So... "Who goes first?"Actually, there was a third path. Xu Xiaoshou looked at another module."Tier 1 Evolution Fluid.""Tier 2 Evolution Fluid."What exactly was Evolution Fluid? And what was this series of "0"s that made his head spin?Having not watered his evolution tree for a long time, Xu Xiaoshou almost forgot he had a tree to nurture—this was for evolving special passive skills: Fist of Passivity, One Finger of Annihilation, and Unity of Heaven and Man. Of the three special passive skills, only One Finger of Annihilation had evolved once, its weakness eliminated, making it powerful enough to grant him immunity to all mental control. The others were sufficient for now. Xu Xiaoshou was still curious about the first and second evolution effects of Unity of Heaven and Man. But he'd only buy water to nourish the tree if he had surplus passive points; he couldn't afford it, truly couldn't afford it!

So, now that he was here...Actually, there was indeed a fourth path: "Passive Keys."What were Passive Keys? Xu Xiaoshou thought carefully, then was surprised to realize he still had a "scamming" roulette wheel, and Passive Keys were used to draw basic, extended, mastery, status, special, and even other types of passive skills. Of course, the high-probability outcomes were "Thank you for your patronage" and "One more key."Ah, the nostalgia of our youth! Xu Xiaoshou decisively abandoned the fourth path. Dao Qiongcang had already taught him through personal example that passive skills were not about quantity, but about refinement. Even a single Great Divine Possession Art, used well and innovatively, could bring boundless terror, surpassing all other forms of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Arcane Arts!

"Twelve million passive points, let's take the first and second paths first!""Adults can't have all four; at least two are needed."Without further hesitation, Xu Xiaoshou lavishly spent one million passive points to purchase four skill sections, immediately upgrading the two rather annoying Throne-level mastery passive skills... to max!His body quivered. His thoughts quivered. But that was it.With his Body, Spirit, and Mind Dao Plates now Dao-transcendent, Xu Xiaoshou's current assimilation ability was incredibly strong! He could withstand the insights brought by Grand Dao Plate upgrades, and now he was almost immune to the "transformation" brought by upgrades like Cooking Mastery.

"Dao techniques, all can be stewed randomly...""All things, all can be stir-fried..."With a strange feeling, Xu Xiaoshou slowly opened his eyes, hesitantly not daring to fully embrace the impact of new concepts. He already considered himself a very peculiar person. After mastering cooking, he seemed to be becoming even stranger...No fear. Stay calm.Later, he would let Emperor Cangsen test his Dao of Cooking!First, continue allocating points, continue recklessly upgrading!His eyes closed. His eyes opened.In the dim thirty-third heaven, with broken dry branches scattered everywhere, Xu Xiaoshou propped his hand on his forehead, lost in thought.

"Picture Reconstruction...""Ink Splatter Contamination..."His contemplation didn't last too long. Unable to fully grasp everything, he decided to put it into practice. With a flick of his sleeve, he grasped into the void, pulling out an invisible spiritual energy brush, and casually swung it."Swish!"In the distance, a Sacred Pantheon Hall formed. The surrounding people were very vague, sketched only with simple lines, looking dull. But Ai Cangsen in the wheelchair actually possessed a hint of divine essence, as if he were real!Ai Cangsen took up the Evil Sin Bow, suddenly drew and released."Thwack!!!"The twang of the bowstring vibrated, and the Evil Sin Arrow shot out, its speed, power, and might identical to what Xu Xiaoshou had "seen." The arrow flew straight towards Xu Xiaoshou, who was sitting cross-legged. However, what it carried was not the aura of the Evil God or the power of Evil Sin, but the power of the Heavenly Ancestor and Dragon Ancestor.But..."Change!"Xu Xiaoshou, holding the invisible brush, swung it again.A burst of dark light scattered, and the ancestral god power on the Evil Sin Arrow transformed into the power of the Evil God and the power of Evil Sin. Its quantity, quality, aura, breath, and momentum... were all identical to what Xu Xiaoshou had "seen." An arrow whistled towards him, and Xu Xiaoshou was startled by his own arrow."Everything I've seen, I can depict?""All forces of the same nature, can be reconstructed?"

The Passive System will once again undergo a major update, and this book will temporarily revert to a system-oriented novel. There's a lot of information, so the main text only includes a portion to avoid being accused of padding... or rather, of Mysticizing and Dao-transcending my writing. However, some people will definitely want to see a comprehensive and complete "Passive System." Later, I will log onto the official account and list all the latest passive skill information once it's organized. Those interested or who have forgotten can check it out there. Regarding "secondary awakenings," if anyone has good ideas, feel free to leave a comment on the official account for me to "borrow" haha, especially if your ideas are bigger than an apple... Yes, I need to hurry, once it's written into the main text, it becomes definitive. There isn't much time, just this one day!Good luck with the college entrance exam! For divine advice, ask the flashy old Daoist; if you don't know, choose C, and all your guesses will be correct!Good night.