Chapter 1678: Memory River Second Sound, Angry Old Daoist Descends

"Blade Bearer of the Doomed Nation..."

Just hearing that name, you knew it was terrifyingly powerful!

Xu Xiaoshou had only done it as an afterthought, so he genuinely hadn't expected to hit two in a row. Was this the luck that came with being blessed?

With tear-filled eyes, he looked towards the Dragon Apricot Spirit.

Apricot Darling, you truly are my treasure.

One day, sooner or later, I'll help you uproot that Nine-Sacrifice Laurel you've coveted for so long and couldn't get, and bring it to the Apricot Realm.

Oh, right, the Child-Creating Infant also takes the form of a Tree Mother. A dignified saintess or a seductive enchantress, I wonder which one you'd prefer, Apricot Darling...

"Awooo!"

The Dragon Apricot Spirit, coiled around the tree, let out a yelp and distanced itself with a hint of disdain.

It had no idea Xu Xiaoshou was unilaterally assigning human genders to the Ancestral Tree, and simply felt uncomfortable seeing Xu Xiaoshou's eager, affectionate expression.

"Look after yourself!"

Xu Xiaoshou, his fervent enthusiasm unappreciated, glared at the Dragon Apricot and turned his head away.

But after a moment's thought, he still felt that Apricot Darling's blessing was very effective, and he shouldn't let its efforts go to waste.

"Take these first."

"I'll help you dig up the tree later."

He pulled out many dragons from his Shield Treasure: dragon corpses, dragon blood, dragon pearls, every kind of dragon-related item imaginable.

A colossal pile of them, along with some glittering, multi-colored jewels that dragons adored, crashed down outside the dilapidated Shennong Medicinal Garden, forming winding mountains of treasure.

The Dragon Apricot Spirit was stunned.

"Awooo!"

It let out a comfortable moan, and with lightning speed, coiled itself around Xu Xiaoshou, its dragon head rubbing affectionately against the face of this great Apricot Realm Lord.

Good human!

Xu Xiaoshou, you are a good human!

You went to train at the God Slaying Official's ruins, and you didn't forget to bring me, Apricot, so many good things. I really didn't choose wrongly back then!

"You're such a tease!"

Xu Xiaoshou was amused by the Apricot Darling's sudden change in attitude. "I'm not giving these to you for free; make sure you plant these sacred medicines well."

He then pulled out many sacred medicines that he had acquired from the Ruins of the Art Ancestor via his Shield Treasure. The quantity was dozens of times more than what the Shennong Medicinal Garden had possessed before it was ravaged by the Greedy God.

The Art Ancestor's treasures truly didn't include even a single low-grade spiritual herb; everything was at least Saint-grade.

The only drawback was that while the original herbs in the Shennong Medicinal Garden were highly sentient, most of those from the Ruins of the Art Ancestor were dry and specimen-like, either withered or half-withered...

"Awooo!"

The Dragon Apricot Spirit, however, let out another excited call.

Those didn't matter. Sacred medicines were good things in themselves!

Sacred medicines had strong vitality, and combined with the soil from the Shennong Medicinal Garden, the Dragon Apricot Spirit was confident it could restore the garden's former glory within a month or so, perhaps even surpassing it!

Most importantly...

The Apricot Realm had just taken shape, and planting so many sacred medicines would bring immense benefits.

The more active the spiritual energy and the higher the level of power fed back, the faster the Apricot Realm's rules would mature, and it, as the World Tree, would directly benefit!

"Alright, alright, I need to leave for a bit."

Xu Xiaoshou had to pry the Dragon Apricot Spirit off him several times before he finally succeeded. He needed to go test his second awakening.

Thought Stripping.

Blade Bearer of the Doomed Nation.

Xu Xiaoshou had wanted to test it directly on people in Jade City.

However, judging by the destructive names of these two abilities, ordinary spirit refiners likely wouldn't be able to withstand them.

Fortunately, the God's Remains had new test subjects – the kind even the Ancestral God couldn't kill.

"Senior Water Ghost."

God's Remains, First Heaven.

Water Ghost was cultivating when he heard the voice and immediately sprang up as if he'd seen a ghost.

Xu Xiaoshou?

Why is he looking for me?

Calling me so intimately, he must have ulterior motives!

"You don't need to call me Senior anymore, Young Master Xu. I probably can't beat you now..." Water Ghost hesitated, then admitted the reality.

"No, a senior is always a senior."

Xu Xiaoshou was so polite it was as if he'd been possessed. "Senior Water Ghost, I have a request. I wonder if it's appropriate to mention it."

"Please speak, Young Master Xu."

As soon as he finished speaking, Water Ghost noticed Elder Sang subtly taking a step back, a movement he evidently thought no one would notice...

And then another step back!

Then, realizing he'd been noticed, he directly used an escape art and vanished into the distance!

"Open the passage to the Eighteenth Heaven."

From afar, Elder Sang's voice drifted back: "I've had a sudden realization. The Eighteenth Heaven has a higher level of rules, which might help me comprehend the Dao."

Water Ghost: ???

It's obvious you didn't have a sudden realization, is it?

Feng Yujin glanced at the distant Wuxiu, then at Water Ghost, who was being 'controlled' by Young Master Xu up close, and a vague sense of unease rose in his heart.

The Saint Emperor's powerful precognition made him realize this was not a place to stay long.

But...

Xu Xiaoshou wasn't here for him, after all.

Currently, he was just a soul without a body to inhabit.

No matter how cruel he was, could he really do something to a soul that was old, weak, sick, and disabled all at once?

Feng Yujin lowered his head, continuing to extract Mo Mo's soul fragments from his own soul body and piece them together...

One was right in front of him.

One was a Saint Emperor's soul body, completely unguarded.

The other had almost escaped to the very edge of his perception, highly cautious.

What better state for a test subject could there be?

"Thought Stripping!"

Xu Xiaoshou didn't even bother with foreplay; he immediately activated his perception's second awakening.

The world showed no ripples.

But from Xu Xiaoshou's perspective, within the range covered by his "Perception," an invisible wave of light seemed to sweep through.

In an instant, his mind was filled with countless fragmented voices:

'Whoosh''Caw! Caw! Grow!''Kuru kuru.''Baji baji.''Yiyi yiyi, yiyi yiyi...''Want love, bite love.'

So noisy!

Such fragmented voices!

Who's talking, step forward!

Unprepared, Xu Xiaoshou felt his brain nearly burst from the countless thoughts and intentions that instantly flooded his mind, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.

Realizing what was happening, he quickly activated his Intent Dao Plate for self-preservation and began to process these "voices."

He quickly traced the source of the voices!

They were the newly born, unowned spirits in the First Heaven of the God's Remains!

"'Thought Stripping' can forcibly pull the 'thoughts' of all intelligent beings within perception range—even nascent, unconscious intelligences—into my mind... eavesdropping?"

Xu Xiaoshou focused his attention, honing in on the voices in his mind, trying to find familiar ones.

Soon, he got what he wished for.

Water Ghost: 'What exactly does he want to say?'

Elder Sang: 'As expected, he's up to no good. He even brought out his profound array diagram. But what is he doing... Will it explode? It definitely will!'

Feng Yujin: 'Why do I feel like I'm being spied on... Oh no, it seems a piece of Mo Mo's soul fragment is missing. Should I tell him... No, who is he to her? Why should I, the Emperor, tell him? I need to piece it together for a bit longer... It's fine, it's fine...'

What?!

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes widened instantly. Mo Mo's soul couldn't be pieced back together?

He was about to question it but realized that doing so would expose his new ability, so he controlled his emotions.

His Sea of Qi spiritual essence was rapidly depleting.

His perception extended for ten thousand miles, and maintaining "Thought Stripping" over such a vast range consumed too much energy!

"It truly lives up to being a second awakening. Perhaps I should attempt a breakthrough in my spirit refining realm..."

Xu Xiaoshou first tried to narrow the range but found he couldn't.

If the first awakening, Soul Reading, was a vertical extension of perception, allowing focus on a person's past,

then the second awakening, Thought Stripping, was a simultaneous vertical and horizontal expansion of perception, directly delving into the present and future thoughts of everyone within its range.

The range of this "mind-reading" was too vast!

Moreover, its level was extremely high; even with Xu Xiaoshou doing it so intentionally, Saint Emperor Feng Yujin only felt a prickling sensation of being spied upon.

If he secretly activated Thought Stripping, could he strip Dao Qiongcang's thoughts from behind him and then launch a sneak attack?

If that still didn't work, what if he activated "Isolated from the World" and then Thought Stripping?

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly realized this was the perfect combination. He would temporarily possess a...

"World of Honesty!"

Beloved Dog, I can now understand exactly what you truly think of me without any hindrance!

Xu Xiaoshou deactivated Thought Stripping.

As he expected, Elder Sang, Water Ghost, and Feng Yujin all detected no abnormality.

With a little guidance, everyone overlooked the slight "peculiarity" from moments ago.

"What are you doing?"

Water Ghost finally couldn't help but ask.

Xu Xiaoshou shook his head and said thoughtfully, "I've made further progress on the Great Dao of Intent..."

Mind-reading?

Was it truly just "mind-reading"?

If so, it should simply be called "Thought Reading." Why "Thought Stripping"?

The passive system would never name things arbitrarily; Xu Xiaoshou knew this well.

He surveyed his surroundings with his perception and noticed no obvious depletion in Elder Sang, Water Ghost, or Feng Yujin after using Thought Stripping.

However, the sentience of the plants, flowers, and stones that had newly sprouted after the battle, nurtured by spiritual energy and unowned saint force, had dimmed considerably.

Clearly, something had been "stripped" from them.

"'Thought Stripping' not only consumes my energy but also the sentience of those being stripped?"

"Just like Soul Reading has the side effect of causing pain, this could also become a control ability, or even..."

"A damaging ability?"

After his recent attempt, Xu Xiaoshou knew he couldn't narrow the range of Thought Stripping, but he could focus and identify the voices of Elder Sang, Water Ghost, and Feng Yujin.

Did this mean that if he intensified the Thought Stripping on a particular "being,"

its depletion would be even greater?

"Young Master Xu?" Water Ghost asked again, uncertainly, seeing no response from Xu Xiaoshou.

Xu Xiaoshou waved his hand, signaling silence.

He wasn't so cruel as to want to forcibly use this technique on Water Ghost.

After a brief search, the not-so-cruel Young Master Xu soon found a tender green blade of grass growing by a tree stump.

"Sorry, grass, you're my test subject today."

As soon as his attention focused, that terrifying thing he had previously blocked quickly popped out:

"White Night Return, a first-grade spiritual medicine, cool in nature, slightly bitter. Generally not used for flavoring, but when combined with the Three-Corpse Centipede and Five-Threaded Golden Spider... it can create Five-Poison Wine and cultivate the Soul-Returning Flower."

With a quick glance, he accidentally caught sight of the headless female corpse and the ghost beside him, and the "Mastery of Cooking" descriptions popped up:

"Feng Yujin's soul fragment..."

"Mo Mo's dried meat..."

Damn it! Not this stuff!

Xu Xiaoshou jumped, quickly cutting off the display.

This was why he intentionally blocked the "Mastery of Cooking" descriptions. During combat, a single extra glance could sometimes make him pee his pants from fright at his own terrifying abilities.

"Thought Stripping!"

The second awakening reactivated, and the gurgling, squelching sounds reappeared in his mind. It was truly noisy:

'Ya ya ya''Grow, grow, grow, grow...''Bi bu bi bu''Is Xu Xiaoshou crazy? What does he want to do to White Night Return? Does he suddenly want to refine pills?''Cry cry cry...''Oh no, it really seems like a piece is missing, a piece of brain... I hope it doesn't affect Mo Mo's sentience...''Ahhh—'

And someone was singing!

With a turn of his Intent Dao Plate, Xu Xiaoshou this time managed to control the voices in his mind well, preventing most of the intentions from affecting him.

He focused on the White Night Return in front of him.

'Ahhhhh—'

Well, well, so it was you singing. For a blade of grass, you're a bit too happy.

'Ughhh!'

Soon, as Thought Stripping intensified, the White Night Return began to shake violently, and its song turned painful.

'Yaaahhh!'

It began to roar.

'Sssahhh!'

It screamed.

'Ugh.'

G-Gone?

Xu Xiaoshou stared at the White Night Return, whose sentience had completely withered, and fell into thought, feeling apologetic.

'What? White Night Return withered?'

'What did Xu Xiaoshou do to that grass? Did he steal the spiritual medicine's sentience?'

'Good thing Mo Mo's head hasn't been repaired yet, otherwise there'd be a black mark on her forehead. But it has to be repaired eventually, so what am I going to do...?'

He couldn't take it anymore!

Feng Yujin, I'm really fed up with you!

Xu Xiaoshou swiftly deactivated Thought Stripping and strode towards Mo Mo. "You've been trying to save her for half a day; hasn't she woken up yet?"

Feng Yujin looked up and glanced at Young Master Xu, his expression mournful: "The injuries she sustained... are quite severe..."

Thought Stripping!

'Get lost! What are you doing here? I, the Emperor, can save her myself. I don't need you. Scram!'

"Why hasn't her head even been repaired yet? Didn't I give you sacred medicine?" Xu Xiaoshou pulled out another sacred medicine. "Not enough? Here's more."

'Don't give me any more, Young Master Xu. Please just leave, I beg you. Once I've figured out a foolproof plan, I'll explain everything...'

"Could it be that Mo Mo's soul fragments can't be fully pieced together?"

'Gah?'

At the same time, it was the first time he had heard no mental thoughts from a Saint Emperor for a full three breaths.

Feng Yujin's expression panicked for a moment, then quickly returned to calm: "I, the Emperor..."

"Were Mo Mo's soul fragments taken by Dao Qiongcang?"

'Gah?'

This time, Feng Yujin realized it wasn't a bluff. Young Master Xu had definitely seen something!

He stammered in panic: "No! Absolutely not! I cherish her more than I cherish myself. There's no way anything could have happened to Mo Mo!"

'Impossible.''Yes, absolutely impossible.''Back then, Mo Mo's soul body was hidden within my soul body, extremely precious. If Dao Qiongcang wanted to harm her, he would have to go through me...''He couldn't do it!''What would he want Mo Mo's soul body for? If he wanted one, couldn't he just take mine, the Emperor's?''Yes, he didn't attack me at all. My soul was shattered and drained in the Dyeing Tea Divine Court, which is how Mo Mo's soul body was accidentally harmed. It was an accident, a mishap!'

Your divine soul is boiling.

For the first time, Xu Xiaoshou had such a direct insight into Bei Huai's famous saying.

It was truly boiling!

In an instant, many thoughts flashed through Feng Yujin's mind.

"He didn't deceive me..." Just as Xu Xiaoshou thought he had finished reading Feng Yujin's mind,

suddenly, a mental voice not his own appeared within Feng Yujin's thoughts:

'Dao Qiongcang didn't touch your memories, Dao Qiongcang didn't touch your memories, Dao Qiongcang didn't touch your memories...'

"Forget it... Forget it... it..."

Dao Qiongcang!

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes instantly widened, bloodshot.

What had he heard? Within Feng Yujin's thoughts, there was the voice of that flamboyant old Daoist!

Was it an illusion created by our great Saint Emperor Fengtian himself?

No! This could only be that flamboyant old Daoist using the Super-Dao Transformation Memory Path to interfere with Saint Emperor Feng Yujin's memories!

If I hadn't awakened Thought Stripping today...

If I had only awakened mind-reading and couldn't strip away another person's mental voice...

Xu Xiaoshou's hair stood on end, and cold sweat drenched his back.

Ba Zun'an truly hadn't deceived him. That flamboyant old Daoist who left the God's Remains was a dog... no, even a dog could be trusted, but that flamboyant old Daoist absolutely could not!

"You are the most useless Saint Emperor I have ever seen!"

Xu Xiaoshou was so angry he wanted to blurt out that sentence, but he eventually opened his mouth and couldn't say it.

A quarter of an hour ago, hadn't I been completely unaware of all this too?

It wasn't Saint Emperor Fengtian who was useless, nor was it Sang Shui or me...

Xu Xiaoshou stood silently in the God's Remains for a long time, letting the cold wind brush his face, his complexion ashen, lost in thought.

No one had ever seen Xu Xiaoshou, usually a figure of absurdity and humor, wear such an expression; not even Elder Sang had.

But at this moment, everyone understood.

Young Master Xu was angry!

Three gushing streams of water plunged down the cliff.

Four massive beast horns rose from the clouds, reaching towards the sky, cradling a grey moon. The highest peak under this moon was called Vast Heaven Peak.

From the mouth of Vast Heaven Peak's enormous dragon head, a resplendent golden palace was clutched, named the Xuyue Grey Palace.

This palace hung suspended at the cliff's edge, neither touching the sky nor the ground.

At this moment, Dao Qiongcang, Gou Wuyue, and Wei Feng stood abreast at the peak of the dragon's head, relieving themselves freely against the strong winds.

"I can reach three zhang against the wind!"

"I can reach six zhang against the wind!"

"Watch me! I can go straight up to the sky—"

Dao Qiongcang laughed heartily. His body, having been transformed, was already extraordinary, and for Gou Wuyue and Wei Feng to compete with him in this regard was merely inviting humiliation.

Before he could open his mouth to tease them further, Dao Qiongcang's vision blurred, as if he had seen something.

His smile froze, and his expression turned helpless.

After a shiver, he was the first to tie his waistband, then looked contemptuously at the two beside him:

"Could you at least try to maintain some image!"

"You're grown men, still playing these games?"

Gou Wuyue and Wei Feng were both stunned.

We're already being lenient by not hitting a cheater like you, and now you're turning against us and slandering us first?

"You..."

Wei Feng was not someone with a good temper.

He brandished his King Yan's Banquet and was about to strike, but suddenly, his movement froze.

There was killing intent!

Very strong killing intent!

Was there still such a being surviving in the Xuyue Grey Palace?

Gou Wuyue's eye wrinkles also crinkled as murderous intent erupted. In an instant, ten thousand miles of Dao principles collapsed, countless swords pierced through, and the Azure River Sword Realm formed:

"Come out!"

"Stop!" Dao Qiongcang hastily stopped the two elders of Saber and Sword. "It's one of us, one of us. What are you doing? It wouldn't be good to scare my friend."

After speaking, he sighed: "Come out, I see you."

One of us?

Gou Wuyue and Wei Feng frowned and reined in their aura.

The Xuyue Grey Palace was not easy to deal with. If they underestimated their opponent, they could be instantly killed by a hidden powerful enemy.

But Dao Qiongcang was even harder to deceive. If he said it was 'one of us,' then it was definitely 'one of us.'

Instead of doubting him, it was better to doubt if their own minds were playing tricks on them.

But, if it was 'one of us'...

How then could this monstrous killing intent be explained?

As Gou Wuyue and Wei Feng looked on suspiciously, Dao Qiongcang scanned left and right, paying extra attention to certain corners and details, but he couldn't find the source of the killing intent.

He sighed again: "No need for these games. I'm truly not bluffing you. If you can find me, I can naturally see you. Just state your business. Between you and me, why must we..."

Dao Qiongcang's mouth suddenly froze.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Dao Qiongcang's mouth suddenly stretched wide... No! Expanded... No, it was as if someone was forcibly prying it open!

"Ugh!"

"What's going on!"

Blood oozed from the corners of Dao Qiongcang's mouth as his entire jaw seemed to be forcibly broken open. He panicked:

"Don't mess with me, just say what you want!"

Yet, no matter how much Dao Qiongcang searched his surroundings with his Saint Sense, he couldn't find any "person."

Gou Wuyue and Wei Feng continued to frown.

What a 'friend,' well... done!

Dao Qiongcang's panic no longer seemed feigned. He frantically looked at the two beside him: "Help! Help..."

Gou Wuyue and Wei Feng's brows relaxed, and they laughed openly.

Another act?

You just love playing these games?

Fine, we'll watch your performance... The two crossed their arms and watched with great interest as Dao Qiongcang put on a solo act.

"Thump!"

Just then, all three of their hearts simultaneously stopped.

A magnificent aura pressed down, nearly forcing the unprepared Gou Wuyue and Wei Feng off the cliff.

"Stop it!!!"

Dao Qiongcang was still yelling. He was truly serious about his acting!

The two nervously looked around, gripping their swords and sabers, alert to their surroundings, when their peripheral vision caught Dao Qiongcang frantically portraying "panic."

After a pause, his entire body began to lose control and spasm.

How terrifying was Dao Qiongcang!

Gou Wuyue and Wei Feng had followed Dao Qiongcang for so many years and had never seen him in such a miserable state!

His hands stiffened, as if clamped tightly by someone.

His knees bent, as if violently kicked downwards.

His chest split open, as if he were being dissected from within.

"Help... help!"

Horror surged in Dao Qiongcang's eyes as he roared, "It's on me! What are you watching, a show?!"

It wasn't an act!

No matter how foolish they were, Gou Wuyue and Wei Feng realized at this moment that the newcomer was extraordinary.

But...

You said 'one of us'!

Should they act, or not?

Did "help" mean kill you, or save you?

If it meant saving you, did it mean killing you, or killing that invisible... entity on you, and if so, how?

If it's the latter, then tell us, how do we kill you to save you?!

"What in the world..."

Gou Wuyue and Wei Feng exchanged glances, both clearly terrified.

Such a bizarre occurrence on anyone else wouldn't be startling, but for it to happen to Dao Qiongcang — that was truly terrifying!

Without daring to hesitate, raising their saber and sword, Gou Wuyue and Wei Feng simultaneously decided: killing was saving; they would chop first and ask questions later.

Yet, before they could strike Dao Qiongcang, they both looked at each other's saber and sword.

"Your King Yan's Banquet looks exceptionally beautiful today. Did you just polish it?"

"Huh, the Sound of Nulan, so a sword's hum can be this crisp?"

In just that moment of delay, Gou Wuyue and Wei Feng realized.

Guidance!

Their hearts chilled with fear. They looked back at Dao Qiongcang, who had already mutated into a bloody mess, his voice filled with severity and terror:

"Ahhh—"

"Stop! Stop!"

"Don't do this, spare me, spare me... Ahh!!"

With that final scream, Dao Qiongcang's chest completely burst open, and a slender hand emerged from among his internal organs.

Gou Wuyue and Wei Feng simultaneously retreated a thousand miles.

This was too horrifying. Better to abandon the minor and protect the major; they should observe the situation first.

"Stop it!"

The hand protruding from his chest did not stop at his cry; instead, it fiercely jabbed towards Dao Qiongcang's head.

Its five fingers, sharp as swords, plunged directly into Dao Qiongcang's nostrils, eye sockets, and cheekbones.

"Ahhh!!!"

The scream echoed across the entire cliff.

At this point, Gou Wuyue and Wei Feng felt the situation was dire and wanted to approach, but it was too late.

After witnessing what was happening in the distance, their scalps tingled even more:

The unpredictable Dao Qiongcang suddenly slammed onto Vast Heaven Peak on one knee!

His hands were devoutly raised high, and his head was forcefully pushed upward and backward by the hand emerging from his chest, until it was violently embedded into his back!

His lips twitched, tears and blood poured backward, rushing towards his forehead and dark hair, finally bubbling in his throat, letting out a wretched cry of unbearable humiliation:

"SPIRIT! GOD! DESCENT! ART!"