Chapter 1686: Unpredictable Divine Spirits Drunken in the Wind, Tactical Defection to Sword Immortal Bei

"Dead? He's dead?"

Everyone in front of the Five Regions Preaching Mirror was stunned by this sudden turn of events. In the blink of an eye, while Master Shou in the Southern Domain was still speaking, Master Shou on the Holy Mountain was shot to pieces by Emperor Aisheng?

"That fast?""No way, he even got bigger!""I think Master Shou feigned a weakness... he's trying to make this fake body disappear with a trick. He must have a deeper purpose for doing this!""This old man doesn't think so. If you young people had witnessed a battle between the Ten Honored Ones, you wouldn't be saying such things.""How so?""Feigning a weakness only works when both sides are evenly matched and neither side's strength significantly surpasses the other's. Once there's a vast disparity, or if both sides' attacks are overwhelmingly powerful, whoever exposes a weakness first, whether intentionally or not, will die if the opportunity is seized.""In that case, I did distantly witness the Divine Love War at the Divine Official's Relic. It was an overwhelming torrent of arrows, impenetrable, completely unlike the current intensity. After all, Emperor Aisheng considered the lives of those in the Central Domain... and even a mighty figure like Shenyi dared not 'feign a weakness' then.""Exactly, feigning a weakness is equivalent to giving up the first move, and whoever gives up the first move dies.""So, in that case, Master Shou..."

Everyone looked at Master Shou in the Southern Domain Preaching Mirror, seeing his bewildered expression, as if he too had been stunned by that arrow. If it were anyone else, people would immediately deduce something from such a reaction. But this was Master Shou! His unpredictability was almost on par with the Dao Palace Master. Who could tell if he was genuinely shocked or just pretending?

"Jinn, gone again?"In reality, Xu Xiaoshou at that moment found it genuinely difficult to suppress his initial reaction. He was truly astonished by the Wing-Breaking Arrow. It wasn't a setup. It wasn't anything else. It was pure, instant elimination after showing himself! Just how fast was that arrow? So fast that Jinn could only instinctively use a few of his main body's usual life-saving techniques, such as "Extreme Giant," "Divine Agility Moment," and "Worldly Detachment," before it was over. Other techniques like "Immovable Wisdom King," "One-Step Ascension," "Vanishing Art"... He couldn't even use them; they were all interrupted as the Evil God's power pierced through his body. Ultimately, he was struck by the strongest arrow from above, and he died instantly, without even the "life review" or "leaving a final message" moments he was most skilled at in his previous lives. His soul and consciousness were completely obliterated! Clean, fluid, smooth!

Gulp.Xu Xiaoshou swallowed, and Li Fugui's voice echoed in his mind once more. A fully manifested Ten Honored One... And unlike Dao Qiongcang, who relies on intellect, or Kui Leihan and Eight Honored Ones, who have combat limitations. This type, he hadn't seen before. Actually, he had! Wasn't that small portion of the Holy Mountain, shattered by an arrow, just like Chongyin's body, which also disintegrated under Si She Shenyi's Overlord Staff? "This output..." "This speed..." Was it that the Transcendental Dao Intent Disc's reaction wasn't fast enough, or that the passive enhancements from his passive skills after his first and second awakenings weren't strong enough? Neither! The fault wasn't with Jinn. The root of the problem lay in Aisheng's combat awareness.

"From the very beginning, this guy wasn't targeting me in the Southern Domain, but Jinn.""He had already grasped Jinn's 'habit' of activating Worldly Detachment, found a weakness, and then instantly shattered him?"How could an arrow that could turn mid-flight be unplanned? Xu Xiaoshou no longer dared to assume that "Aigou's" arrows couldn't hit people. In past battles, his understanding of a master realm combat awareness was limited to everyone having fast reaction speeds. Even Dao Qiongcang didn't transcend that; he relied on calculations and schemes to solve problems. But with Aisheng, Xu Xiaoshou realized that combat awareness wasn't just about reaction speed. Even the habit of using spiritual techniques, once discovered, could be fatal?!

"I got careless...""No, Jinn got careless. He didn't even have the Shattered Jun Shield. How could he dare to relax his guard?"Xu Xiaoshou recalled it carefully and found that Jinn deserved his death, but it was a valuable death; at least it served as a warning to him. Previously, he had decided not to confront Aisheng directly. But now he realized that even if he didn't intend to face him, there was no guarantee Aisheng wouldn't force a confrontation, wanting to engage him directly? If they truly had to meet, Aisheng knew him inside out, but what about himself? Aside from the Evil Sin Bow, he knew nothing about Aisheng's fighting style, cultivation techniques, or habits!

"Whose guidance is this?"Xu Xiaoshou was a bit scared. Was it the guidance of arrogance? Equating it to Si She Shenyi's Overlord Staff, he didn't have much confidence in being able to withstand it; he still had to see if his shield treasure was effective. Given this, how could he underestimate Aisheng, who could initiate the Divine Love War? Xu Xiaoshou quickly sent a message to Li Fugui, asking for detailed information about "Aigou," mainly wanting to know if "Aigou" knew battle-enhancement methods like the Six Paths or Four Abandonments. At the same time, he used Lingxi Art to contact Dao Qiongcang, unabashedly asking for a briefing on Aisheng, though he wasn't sure if he could get it. However, he couldn't show fear, and the plan still had to proceed.

He collected himself, blinked, tapped the mirror, and said to the people of the Five Regions:"Impressive, Aigou, you've somewhat exceeded my expectations... no, now you meet my expectations for a Ten Honored One's direct combat power.""I must mention, you looked quite pathetic when you couldn't hit me before; I had to feign a weakness for you to succeed.""But is this all of me? Just this much?"Xu Xiaoshou turned his back to the mirror, gesturing towards Huifeng Peak as if addressing Guizhe Holy Mountain:"Even if your arrow could shatter half a Holy Mountain, it merely killed an insignificant clone of mine.""And I..."He paused, then turned back, holding up two fingers to the camera and slowly forming a hand seal:"Art: Dreamfall Three Thousand."

Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh...In the small world where the Xuyue Ash Palace was located, tens of thousands of divine lights rained down. As the light faded, they transformed into tens of thousands of Xu Xiaoshous. One person can manifest thousands upon thousands of forms, making it impossible to discern whether his art is righteous or evil! At this moment, the Five Regions held their breath, feeling as if that amusing legend had suddenly materialized.

"Go," Master Shou in the mirror waved his hand, and the tens of thousands of Xu Xiaoshous cheered, some riding swords, some riding cranes, dispersing in all directions. Master Shou turned his head back. At this moment, no one could be certain that the Master Shou still speaking in front of the mirror was his true self. He smiled broadly, a cunning smile:"And I can still embody thousands of forms.""Even if you, Aisheng, personally rush to the Southern Domain, can you possibly shoot all of them?"

"No!"Master Shou's challenge from the Southern Domain hadn't even fully reached them yet. Hearing that Aisheng intended to rush to the Southern Domain, all the half-saints in the square panicked. The "downcast" faction, led by Zhong Yuanzi, no longer looked downcast; every one of them spoke up to dissuade him."Aisheng, Plan Sixteen is underway; we can only retreat to the Dead Sea.""If you choose to rush to the Southern Domain alone halfway through the plan, you'll be falling for Xu Xiaoshou's cunning trick.""Don't let him succeed!"The "proud and confident" faction, led by Qin Duan—who was previously famous for calling him "Aigou" and was only targeted by the Evil Sin Bow but not killed—now nodded in agreement like pecking chickens:"Lord Aisheng, please think twice before acting!""You should know that Xu Xiaoshou presented that body for you to kill, precisely to create the illusion that 'I can do it,' and then lure you away.""If the Holy Mountain loses your presence, how can a few of us possibly deal with that Xu Xiaoshou?"

Though their words were crude, their reasoning was sound. Of course, Aisheng knew all this. But he remained indifferent to the multitude of remonstrances in the square. He still sat on his wheelchair, his Eye of the Grand Dao gazing into the distance towards the Southern Domain, fixed on the tens of thousands of Xu Xiaoshous summoned by a technique that was clearly not the Ancestor of Arts' "Dreamfall Three Thousand."

"Fake..."He seemed to be able to distinguish between Xu Xiaoshou's true body, fake bodies, and clones. The true body was fearless because it held many trump cards; even if a misstep occurred, it could presumably withstand the Wing-Breaking Arrow. The fake body lacked ancestral source power and other spiritual artifacts, and even until its death, it hadn't revealed any of the Four Swords or the Yan Python, hence it would be more cautious. Clones were too "thin"; when encountered by the Eye of the Grand Dao... Even Dao Qiongcang's Situ Yongren, Aisheng could tell at a glance that it was full of technical traces, prompting him to beg Aisheng not to spread rumors. Xu Xiaoshou's clones, with a single glance, were just as easily seen to be composites of dao principles, entirely "drawn" into existence. They might fool others, perhaps even half-saints, but they simply couldn't fool the Tear Clan's Pupils.

Aisheng stared intently at the original Xu Xiaoshou, the one still standing in front of the Preaching Mirror, seemingly waiting for him to come and fight. The Eye of the Grand Dao could see through the Grand Dao, but it could not see through people's hearts. Yes, Aisheng couldn't be certain if Xu Xiaoshou had deployed another external incarnation, but this time, having learned his lesson, he acted calmly, pretending to be the true body waiting for him. But... Was there a choice?

Without turning his head, Aisheng said in a deep voice:"I said, sever the Five Regions' Dao Principle connections and banish the Southern Domain. Did you not hear me?"The square fell silent. Everyone suddenly realized that all those who became Palace Masters were stubborn, but in different ways. The Dao Palace Master was stubbornly circuitous, making everyone willingly comply with his chosen plan. The Xuanji Palace Master was directly stubborn; no matter what, he would fight, he simply couldn't tolerate it. Emperor Aisheng was stubbornly capable; his decision, superficially, seemed no different from Xuanji Palace Master's, but the essence was vastly different. He had the confidence and strength to be stubborn."But look behind you, Emperor Aisheng! If you would turn around and see us, the people behind you, we don't believe you could remain so oblivious..."Qin Duan gritted his teeth, cupped his hands, and spoke again: "Emperor Aisheng, please prioritize the common people and do not go south!"Aisheng ignored the half-saint completely. Qin Duan gritted his teeth again: "Or, if you truly must go, let us all go to the Southern Domain together and besiege Xu Xiaoshou."If it weren't for the bad optics of publicly shooting his own people, Aisheng would have truly wanted to bash that idiot's head in with his bow. He called out by name:"Lord Jiujie, are you deaf?"Repeatedly ignored, humiliation flashed across Half-Saint Qin Duan's face, but he dared not say more and merely retreated silently.

Jiujie Divine Emissary had originally intended to remain hidden, but now that he was called out, he became the focus of attention, a conflicted expression on his face. Aisheng's reasoning was easy to understand. Severing the Five Regions' Dao Principle connections and banishing the Southern Domain was ultimately to prevent Xu Xiaoshou, currently in the Southern Domain, from escaping by any means, such as spatial teleportation. Based on this, Aisheng, personally rushing to the Southern Domain, was prepared for the dire outcome of destroying the entire Sin Domain, just to bury Xu Xiaoshou in that region or seal him away. But there were too many flaws! Using the Southern Domain Sin Land as a battlefield was certainly better than using the Central Domain Holy Temple, but were only sinners living on the Sin Land? Were they born to die? Stepping back, even if you, Aisheng, were prepared to sacrifice a whole domain, could Xu Xiaoshou truly not escape the Southern Domain? Was it possible that he was currently in the Central Domain, and the one in front of the Southern Domain Preaching Mirror was just a fake body, merely bait waiting for you to go over?

"Once Emperor Aisheng goes to the Southern Domain, Xu Xiaoshou's true body will undoubtedly ascend the Holy Mountain again. At that point, it will be a wolf entering a sheepfold, and their lives will be at his mercy!"Why couldn't you, Aisheng, understand a fact that even the Spirit Refiners in front of the Five Regions Preaching Mirror could clearly see? Were you being guided? Jiujie Divine Emissary, however, knew that even if she were being guided, Aisheng couldn't be so muddled. She asked:"Why?"The square fell silent once more. Everyone listened intently, eager to see if Emperor Aisheng had been kicked in the head by a donkey, or if Xu Xiaoshou had cursed him into foolishness, to make such a decision. But Emperor Aisheng in the wheelchair suddenly changed the subject, mentioning another name no one had considered:"Because of Dao Qiongcang.""The Dao Palace Master?"

In the distant sky, Feng Zhongzui, who had witnessed Master Shou's death and lost his protection, no longer dared to preach too boldly. He now stood on his spiritual sword, flying in the distant sky outside the Holy Mountain, daring not to approach. He only dared to use the Preaching Mirror to magnify the image, similar to Feng Tiantian in the Southern Domain preaching from beyond the Misty Forest. The discussions of the people on the Holy Mountain were not concealed and were clearly audible. Just as Master Shou had used an overt strategy to force Aisheng to leave Guizhe Holy Mountain, the discussions on Guizhe Holy Mountain also became very open under Emperor Aisheng's obstinacy. Seeing that no one was bothering him, and adhering to the principle of "every extra breath of life is a gain," Feng Zhongzui did not stop offering his insights:"The Dao Palace Master, huh...""Emperor Aisheng has indeed brought up an idea I hadn't considered before..."

In front of the Five Regions Preaching Mirror, everyone waited expectantly. Everyone expressed their incomprehension regarding Emperor Aisheng's choice. It clearly looked like a trap, yet he insisted on jumping into it. With one raise of your bow, you want the entire Southern Domain to be buried with Xu Xiaoshou. Have you considered the feelings of the Southern Domain, or the feelings of us who are currently observing the battle in the Southern Domain? And now, you, Feng Zhongzui, understand this idiot? Come! Tell us!Feng Zhongzui truly dared to speak, furrowing his brows as he began:"Let's put ourselves in Emperor Aisheng's shoes. Is Master Shou terrifying? Not at all, just a junior!""Who does Emperor Aisheng truly fear? The other Ten Honored Ones, that's all!""Among them, the Dao Palace Master has been by my side for over thirty years. Others may not understand him, but can I, Aisheng, not understand him?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the people in front of the Preaching Mirror understood. Emperor Aisheng's primary fear was that Xu Xiaoshou had already allied with the Dao Palace Master!"Was Master Shou's previous 'mountains without ridges' claim truly fabricated? At least if I were Lord Aisheng, I wouldn't gamble on it.""Therefore, he can only consider it as an 'exaggeration,' and in such circumstances, if the Dao Palace Master is behind the scenes advising Master Shou... how terrifying is that?""One Master Shou is cunning enough; add a Dao Palace Master, and who would dare to fight a war of attrition against the two of them?"As Feng Zhongzui thought of that scenario, his face twisted into a bitter gourd:"I don't know about anything else, but if those two team up, the longer it drags on, the more miserably everyone will die. That doesn't need explaining, does it?"These words were quite unreasonable. But it had to be said, they were easy to understand, and observers from the Five Regions all agreed, requiring no further explanation.

Feng Zhongzui continued to analyze: "From this perspective, if I were Aisheng, even if I still wanted to execute something called 'Plan Sixteen'..." His voice trailed off. The people in front of the Five Regions Preaching Mirror understood what he meant. Although they didn't know the specific details of 'Plan Sixteen,' what if 'continuing to execute the plan' was part of the Xu-Dao Alliance's scheme? Even if they didn't know how to break the stalemate, not executing it, not following his original intention, might that not be a way to indirectly break the Xu-Dao Alliance's strategy from a 'third-level' perspective? As everyone's thoughts reached this point, they heard Feng Zhongzui say again:"But then another problem arises!""Not following the original plan might indeed disrupt the Xu-Dao Alliance's tempo, but what then should I execute?""It would be hurting the enemy by eight hundred and harming myself by a thousand. If I disrupt my own arrangements and lose direction just to sabotage someone else's plan, it's better not to sabotage it at all.""At this point, with no way forward or back, someone needs to step up and bear the banner!""Who is it?"Feng Zhongzui paused, patted his chest, and declared emphatically:"I am Aisheng. Now Xu Xiaoshou offered me a weakness, and I killed him; he was nothing more than that.""I consider myself invincible. Now I will enter the situation alone and rush to the Southern Domain. If Xu Xiaoshou is there, I will kill him.""If Xu Xiaoshou is not there and goes back to cause trouble at Guizhe Holy Mountain, then I'll simply consider it as giving him a weakness too, so what?""What is Xu Xiaoshou aiming for?"Feng Zhongzui shook his head, returning from his role, and said:"Brothers, Master Shou is aiming for his master, Wu Xiu!""If Emperor Aisheng goes to the Southern Domain, and Xu Xiaoshou comes to the Holy Mountain, he will definitely enter the Dead Sea to rescue his master.""If Master Shou doesn't seize this golden opportunity, he won't get another. And can't Emperor Aisheng, while stationed at the Holy Mountain and shooting arrows at the Southern Domain, also be stationed in the Southern Domain and shoot arrows at the Holy Mountain?""Instead of waiting to die, it's better to take the initiative, accelerate the battle process, even if it means feigning a weakness and giving an opportunity. At least this way, we won't fall into Master Shou's rhythm again, and we won't enter the war of attrition that the Xu-Dao Alliance is best at!"

After this speech, all five regions were astonished. Good heavens, we thought you were just putting on an act, but you actually revealed some profound insights? The Preaching Mirror turned towards the Holy Mountain. The world clearly saw that after Feng Zhongzui finished his explanation, the Taixu and Half-Saints on the Holy Mountain all cast surprised glances. Those gazes, those expressions... The "proud and confident" faction was alright. The "downcast" half-saints, however, looked as if a group of dragons had found their brains; each one seemed to have witnessed the return of the Dao Palace Master."I heard that under the leadership of the Dao Palace Master, the former Ten-Member Council acted without thinking. I wonder if that's true..."The discussions of the people in the Five Regions could not be heard on the Holy Mountain side.

Aisheng in the wheelchair was already surprised enough to hear his own thoughts articulated by someone else. When he turned his eyes, he found it was just an unknown junior. He squinted his eyes: "You are not Feng Zhongzui. Who are you?"Perhaps some could discern Xu Xiaoshou's intentions, his own intentions, his wariness of Dao Qiongcang, and Xu Xiaoshou's wariness of him... But it would require time, deep thought, and certainly wouldn't be this fast! To make such a quick judgment, accurately select the most probable few from a host of complex choices, and articulate them in an orderly manner... Across the entire Saint God Continent, Aisheng had only known one Dao Qiongcang before. Now, he felt he might have to add Xu Xiaoshou to that list.

Feng Zhongzui, carrying the Preaching Mirror, faced the gazes of the half-saints and seemed too frightened to speak, his eyes glazed over. He hadn't moved yet, but not far away, Beibei, whose whereabouts had been unknown since Jinn's death, flew out, sword in hand. She landed in front of Feng Zhongzui's Preaching Mirror, found a good angle, and under the gaze of the Five Regions' people, pointed at Feng Zhongzui, her eyes subtly glancing towards Aisheng:"Whether he is Dao Qiongcang or Xu Xiaoshou, at most he's just borrowing this young man's body to express his views.""Aigou, you wouldn't be so ruthless as to kill even a junior from the Feng family who is merely responsible for preaching, would you?"She paused, then twirled the Emperor Sword, which was taller than herself, raised her chin slightly, and said, looking down on the crowd:"If you dare to kill him...""What about me, Beibei? Do you dare to kill me?"