Chapter 1683: Famous Painting Confession Determines Restoration; Calculations Step by Step Ahead

What can a Reflection Bead do?Naturally, it can only record and replay important moments.So, when the unfathomable Hall Master Dao took out a Reflection Bead, what did Lord Shou intend to do?Naturally, it was to...No, that’s not natural at all!In fact, this action was completely incomprehensible!Everyone in front of the Five Domains' Transmission Mirrors was utterly baffled by Lord Shou's intention in taking out the bead.

Had he found some leverage?Did he capture footage of Hall Master Dao cultivating in the God's Remains, thereby exposing a fatal flaw in his cultivation method?Or was Hall Master Dao secretly plotting some genocidal conspiracy against the world, and Lord Shou recorded it?Surely it wasn't truly Lord Shou's joke, "I have your nude photos," was it?

In fact, the crux of the matter didn't seem to be Lord Shou's Reflection Bead, but rather Hall Master Dao's attitude.Hall Master Dao could have simply denied it!If Lord Shou unilaterally produced a Reflection Bead, no matter how shocking the subsequent footage, wouldn't a simple "I didn't do it" solve everything?How could "evidence" unilaterally presented by the Saint Servant's second-in-command be considered valid?Yet, Hall Master Dao didn't do that. Instead, he was terrified, desperately trying to stop it... Didn't he know the term "the more one tries to conceal, the more one reveals"?

Hall Master Dao was so intelligent; he surely knew everything.Since he knew, and yet was so apprehensive about this Reflection Bead, it implied that what it contained was a "great terror" that even he couldn't control!"Perhaps it's not a Reflection Bead at all?""What if it's a 'World-Destroying Bead' that, when pressed, would shatter the entire Five Domains?"

Just as "world-ending theories" arose in people's minds, the spectators were genuinely startled by a sudden explosion."What happened?"Everyone collectively recoiled.The explosion seemed to originate nearby.However, after looking around and seeing no one injured, their attention returned to the Transmission Mirrors.

"Someone pointed to the wildly flipping image and cried out in alarm, "It's the Transmission Mirror that exploded... no, it's Feng Tiantian!"Indeed, the blast clearly originated from Feng Tiantian's side, throwing both her and the entire mirror into the air.Now, all the images visible on the Five Domains' Transmission Mirrors were spinning and inverting, a truly novel sight.

"Is this what it feels like to be blown away by an explosion from a third-person perspective, yet experiencing it as a first-person view?..."It had to be said, Feng Tiantian offered everyone a brand new experience, personally demonstrating how terrifying an unprotected real battlefield could be.But even with her desperate screams and pleas, few paid attention to the supporting character, no matter how sweet her voice.Most people continued to scrutinize the chaotic Transmission Mirror footage, trying to discern what the main participants were doing.

Some sharp-eyed individuals managed to slowly piece together what was happening at the eye of the storm from the choppy frames."Oh no...""No, this is great! Hall Master Dao and Lord Shou seem to be fighting?""Xu Xiaoshou, you're playing with fire!"

The instant the Reflection Bead was displayed before the Five Domains, a certain string snapped in Dao Qiongcang's mind.He attacked without hesitation, targeting not Xu Xiaoshou first, but Feng Tiantian."Great Slaughter Art!"A profound Heavenly Secret light descended from the sky, enveloping Feng Tiantian's position.

But as he expected, Xu Xiaoshou acted almost simultaneously."Stew."He merely uttered a single word.In mid-air, the profound Heavenly Secret light softened like noodles dropping into a pot, and with a jolt, it dissolved.How absurd!

Yet, what seemed like soft noodles to the two men was, in Feng Tiantian's eyes, a softened tyrant.A softened tyrant was still harder than a human.Even if it was stewed into oblivion, it was fundamentally a semi-saint level attack, and its aftershocks still nearly destroyed Feng Tiantian's physical body.Space provided protection.Feng Tiantian didn't die, but the residual energy from the "stewed" Dao principle blasted her sprawling backward.

Stew? This strange spiritual technique again... Dao Qiongcang seemed to have two sides: one frantic, one calm.After seeing Xu Xiaoshou's new spiritual technique for the second time, he immediately abandoned Feng Tiantian, who he'd used to test his theory, and shifted his target to the Transmission Mirror."Great Shielding Art!"With a change of his fingertip, the profound Heavenly Secret light weaved and intersected, flying like a net to ensnare the Transmission Mirror.In an instant, the Transmission Mirror's ability to capture battlefield footage was blocked.

Seeing this, Xu Xiaoshou's lips curled into a sneer, and he uttered another word:"Stew."The Transmission Mirror, ensnared mid-air and flung far away, was like a ball of rice noodles thrown into a pot; after a jolt, it too dissolved.This time, the control over the heat was exceptionally gentle.What dissolved wasn't the Transmission Mirror itself, but only the layer of Heavenly Secret coating that enveloped it.The mirror itself was merely like a dumpling that slipped into the pot and then out again due to its slipperiness, completely unharmed.

"Still 'stew'?"Dao Qiongcang was greatly alarmed.What kind of spiritual technique was this? How could the Great Slaughter Art be stewed, and the Great Shielding Art too, both with such precision?Was Xu Xiaoshou also a culinary expert?His internal database completed a search instantly – reviewing Xu Xiaoshou's past, nothing in his actions indicated he was an outstanding Dao principle culinary expert.

The only thing remotely related to "control over heat" was that Xu Xiaoshou was a Throne Alchemist.But that was absurd!If the Cinderflame Alchemy he learned from Saint Servant Wuxiu was truly so powerful that it could effortlessly stew away the Great Dao principles associated with the Thirty-Six Heavenly Secrets, then the Five Factions of the Holy Palace should have long been dominated by Cinderflame.Sang Qiye and Long Rongzhi should have been listed among the Ten Honored Ones, with their spiritual refining talent surpassing even Kuileihan.

"Heh."Two attempts, no results.Lord Shou, opposite him, smiled with a sneer.He rubbed his fingertips, preparing to display the nude photos from the Reflection Bead in front of everyone, his enigmatic expression seeming to say:"What can you do to me?"

Infuriating!Absolutely infuriating!Dao Qiongcang was like an ant on a hot pan, feeling his feet and heart burn for the first time in thirty years.Even fighting against Suiyin hadn't made him this uncomfortable.Too cunning!Xu Xiaoshou was too dirty!

He used a playful manner to reveal something that was not very damaging but maximally insulting.If you tried to hold him accountable, he hadn't caused much harm, even generously letting Wei Feng off the hook...But if you chose not to hold him accountable, this insult was truly unbearable, impossible to ignore under any circumstances...

The most bizarre thing was!After just half a day, Xu Xiaoshou seemed like a completely different person.He displayed multiple abilities he had never shown before, which was utterly inconceivable.Dao Qiongcang was not someone who couldn't accept "surprises."He acknowledged and accepted variables, knowing that there were many things in the world he couldn't precisely control.

However, for Xu Xiaoshou to "exceed" his calculations so much within half a day was preposterous!He was like a changed person.If, at the end of the God's Remains, he was still a fledgling who hadn't yet fallen off the cliff to learn how to fly, now he was an eagle, a roc, mature in all aspects, his very existence becoming an eyesore.

And therein lay the problem!"How could one achieve perfection overnight?""Even if Kuileihan comprehended the Through-God Mind, he still needed thirty years to perfect it before he could manifest six variations!"

Great Shift Art!The turmoil in his thoughts did not affect Dao Qiongcang's desire for the Reflection Bead in the slightest.He changed his move, aiming directly for the bead itself, grasping it in his hand, and crushing it fiercely."Crack!"The air shattered.The force of this blow was so immense that Dao Qiongcang even injured his own fingers, causing a piercing pain that radiated through his heart.

But physical pain, however great, was nothing compared to spiritual anguish!He had only crushed air; the bead, even upon reaching his palm, hadn't fully made contact with his skin before Xu Xiaoshou shifted it back.Without even looking up, Dao Qiongcang could sense Xu Xiaoshou's mocking expression, as if saying:"In front of spatial profoundness, you dare to play the Great Shift Art with me, little master?"

Great Severance Art!Dao Qiongcang remained silent, only changing his move again, attempting to separate Xu Xiaoshou and the Reflection Bead, throwing them into two different worlds.But the moment he moved, Xu Xiaoshou seemed to have seen through his intention.Dao Qiongcang suddenly found himself banished, thrown into a realm of exile ahead of time.

After the Great Severance Art was cast, it appeared to strike the Reflection Bead, but in reality, within the exiled world, it merely brushed past the bead from afar, unable to make contact, let alone sever anything.The Way of Severance?The Way of Exile!'You are not a fish; how do you know the joy of a fish?'Xu is not Dao; yet he knows what Dao thinks!

Before the nude photos were even displayed, Dao Qiongcang felt as if he stood naked and exposed before Xu Xiaoshou—everything laid bare!Even his innermost thoughts, it seemed, could be easily grasped?"Impossible!""This is absolutely impossible!"

Dao Qiongcang regretted having revealed too much in front of Xu Xiaoshou during the God's Remains.Was this truly the fate of a chess player entering the game?His habits were seen through, allowing Xu Xiaoshou to anticipate his next move.The Way of Memory had been revealed to him, enabling him to mimic a Divine Descent Art.But there was no one in the world who was perfect, learning everything they saw; this was utterly impossible!

Dao Qiongcang vaguely sensed something amiss but couldn't pinpoint what it was.He maintained his composure, simultaneously unleashing the Great Annihilation Art to destroy the Reflection Bead from a distance.Xu Xiaoshou raised his sleeve, and while one Reflection Bead shattered, ten more appeared around him."Which one is it?"

He then cast the Great Confinement Art, sealing Xu Xiaoshou and the Reflection Bead within a closed world.Xu Xiaoshou "died" on the spot, but in the next instant, another Xu Xiaoshou appeared behind him, manifested by the Divine Descent Art."Over here, actually."

Just as the Reflection Bead flickered, about to display the nude photos to the world, Dao Qiongcang unleashed the Great Embroidery Art, covering the entire territory of the Xuyue Ash Palace with dense Heavenly Secret Dao patterns."Heavenly Secrets, purify the filth!"But then, a giant Heavenly Ancestor's Brush suddenly descended from the sky, its tip soaked in Ancestral Source Ink, and with a flourish, it marred the intricate Heavenly Secret embroidery.

Splat!A large stain appeared on the Heavenly Secret embroidery.A "formation" could only function and perform its special abilities if its "lines" were unobstructed.If "this path is blocked," the "formation" drawn by the Great Embroidery Art could not fully form to obscure the world's view."You're about to see it!"

Dao Qiongcang thrust with a spear.Xu Xiaoshou wielded a shield.Dao Qiongcang was meticulous with every step.Xu Xiaoshou always moved first.Throughout their rapid exchange, Xu Xiaoshou remained expressionless, not uttering a single word.Dao Qiongcang, however, mentally supplied all the mocking expressions, insulting words, sarcastic tones, and repulsive gestures.

To the Five Domains' stunned disbelief, the dozens of exchanges that flashed by in a split second ultimately ended in mutual cancellation, with zero net force—effectively as if no moves had been made!The Reflection Bead remained in Lord Shou's hand.Hall Master Dao, though seemingly close, was as far as the horizon, within sight but out of reach.The Transmission Mirrors vividly projected his uncontained despair, his powerlessness, and the subtly painful sensation of breakdown across the Five Domains.

"Tap."With an unstoppable rub, the Reflection Bead emitted a soft sound and shot a dazzling light high into the sky.Holy light...This was truly holy light!

In an instant, the world fell silent.Everyone before the Five Domains' Transmission Mirrors eagerly craned their necks, anticipating the revelation of this hotly contested "great terror."Dao Qiongcang looked up, unable to believe how immense the holy light was, and how large the expanded image would be, and how detailed... how incredibly detailed...

"Thump!"His heart stopped abruptly, yet his whole body was seething."Thump-thump!"His eyeballs bulged, his vision stained scarlet, and the world itself seemed to tremble twice."Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep..."Alarm bells blared frantically in his mind.

Dao Qiongcang remained oblivious, his gaze fixed on the expanding holy light, watching the image within slowly come into focus.The world gradually dimmed.In the tumultuous storm of his mind, all other thoughts blurred, leaving only one desperate notion:"I awaken in chaos..."

"Whoosh—""Boom!"All Five Domains watched.On Mount Huotian, as Lord Shou rubbed the Reflection Bead open, the holy light shot towards the sky and rapidly burst apart.Everyone clearly saw it: it was a firework, so beautiful!

"Pop, pop, pop, pop..."The firework's light scattered like hail, showering downwards.As it burst with sound, it also formed a beautiful image:ヽ人ノIt was very friendly.Like two children high-fiving.As if Lord Shou's true desire was "great love for all beings, and peace under heaven."

After the fantastically beautiful image disappeared, there was a second movement – the firework transformed into a simple handshake symbol."A handshake?"The Five Domains froze, unable to fully grasp this symbol or Lord Shou's thought process.Dao Qiongcang also froze, his surging killing intent solidified mid-air, his crimson eyes clearly emanating "bewilderment," and his expression gradually shifted from furious to...

Just then, the firework in the sky, after the friendly handshake symbol, also transformed into...Dao Qiongcang was even more mortified!His old face flushed, redder than a monkey's backside.At that moment, he wished he could find a crack in the earth to crawl into, ashamed of the desperate thought that had just flashed through his mind.

'Is Xu Xiaoshou toying with me?''From start to finish, he never intended to openly provoke me by releasing nude photos?''Yes, he wouldn't dare. How could he? The possibility is infinitesimally close to zero!''Then am I insane, to have thought about fighting him to the death?... Wait, was I guided again?'

Dao Qiongcang again felt that "something was off."What was off?What was off was that even though the nude photos weren't released, he still felt completely exposed.And what else was off?What else was off was that upon reflection, he realized he was slightly slower than Xu Xiaoshou every time. Could this be a coincidence?

Dao Qiongcang was now certain that a "roundabout guidance" existed around him, directing his outcome towards this path and pushing his emotions towards frenzy.But what was the purpose?Did this roundabout guidance originate from Xu Xiaoshou?If so, from Xu Xiaoshou's perspective... what was the point of doing this?

Dao Qiongcang possessed no mind-reading ability, nor could he decipher the heart of Xu Xiaoshou, who had mastered the poker face through various trials.The Xu Xiaoshou before him truly seemed fundamentally different from the Xu Xiaoshou of half a day ago.Just as he had perfectly timed every one of their dozens of rapid exchanges before, he now precisely seized the pause in Dao Qiongcang's thoughts and said:"You only get one chance."

He flipped out a second Reflection Bead in his hand. "Flashy old Daoist, is there really nothing you want to confess to me voluntarily?"The Five Domains erupted in an uproar.What kind of tone was that?Wasn't that a bit too arrogant?Was Lord Shou now on an equal footing with the Hall Master Dao, able to address him as a peer in such a manner?

That can't be right!The one qualified to speak to Hall Master Dao in such a tone was Eight Trigrams, not Xu Xiaoshou, at least not yet, right?Since when were they on the same level?If they were...All the spiritual refiners in the Five Domains were aghast.

If so, then what were Gu Qing One-Two-Three-Four, and Senior Brother Beilai Xiao?But if not...What did those dozens of rapid exchanges just now, in which Hall Master Dao gained no advantage, signify?

"Gulp."Before the Transmission Mirrors, a series of difficult swallowing sounds could be heard; everyone seemed unable to accept this reality.In a flash, Lord Shou had leaped from the younger generation to being on par with the Ten Honored Ones?But the reality was truly terrifying.The current footage from the Transmission Mirrors showed a complete imbalance in the two men's aura.Lord Shou was looking down from above.Hall Master Dao was practically bowing in submission.Combined with the phrase "confess voluntarily"...

"Did I see that wrong? How should I interpret this scene?""It looks like Hall Master Dao did something wrong, and Lord Shou is waiting for him to confess voluntarily to reduce his punishment?"After Feng Tiantian finished narrating this world-famous painting titled "Confession" on Mount Huotian, her own words burned her mouth, leaving her dizzy.What in the world was going on?!It was too chaotic, no, it couldn't be like this!My Xu Xiaoshou is strong, but not so strong that he could instantly defeat Wei Feng and then make Hall Master Dao willingly admit his mistakes, right?

"Mo Mo."Hall Master Dao spoke.Mo Mo?Momo?His words left the people of the Five Domains perplexed.Lord Shou remained silent, his gaze scrutinizing, as if, among the two confronting parties, he was the true boss.

It was truly chaotic!Utterly messed up!This was turning the tables on everything... Everyone in front of the Transmission Mirrors gasped in secret.But it seemed this was the stark reality?

Hall Master Dao actively lowered his head, like a defeated cricket, and spiritlessly pulled out a soul fragment:"Lord Shou, you want Mo Mo, right?"