Chapter 2047: Xu's Return

“The overall situation is settled.”

Beside the Time Realm, Saint Sin spread his hands.

Xu Xiaoshou was suppressed, and the Dao Ancestor also chose to submit. Only Gou Wuyue remained in the Time Realm, highly likely to fail. This didn't even count as a variable. After all, even if Gou Wuyue truly returned from zero, he would certainly be no match for Eight-Arm Ancestor — once the Heaven of Delayed Law had suppressed him, he could be extinguished with a mere flick of the hand.

So, all that remained was the aftermath: to seize Xu's Dao, eliminate all malevolent spirits, erase all possibilities of unexpected turns, and then, once the New Heavenly Realm was established, he could comfortably enjoy his new identity as its lord. After countless eons, everything finally came to an end at this moment. Even Saint Sin couldn't help but smile, filled with the joy of impending success.

He casually severed a spiritual avatar, which maintained the sealing of heaven and earth, while his true self took a step and flashed before the gigantic, tumor-like Xu Xiaoshou.

“What do you intend to do?” Medicine Ancestor exclaimed, turning back. Seeing Saint Sin extend a hand, seemingly to touch Xu Xiaoshou's grotesque forehead, he was utterly shocked.

“Seize the Dao.”

Saint Sin smiled casually, speaking directly. After all, at this moment, what was there left to hide?

Medicine Ancestor, however, suddenly grew anxious.

Seize Xu's Dao? No, he's seizing the Dao of Name! Once the Dao of Name also fell into Saint Sin's hands, the Name Ancestor would be eternally lost, with no hope of return. After all, at the end of the Dao, there was already one Saint Sin. Given his nature, how could he generously share the Dao of Name with anyone?

“Do you intend to oppose Nuo Ancestor?” Medicine Ancestor asked, acting as if he were entirely devoted to Saint Sin's concerns.

“Why not?” Saint Sin smiled back.

“Of course not!”

Medicine Ancestor's face paled. Facing Saint Sin's half-smile, he was speechless for a long moment. Saint Sin chuckled, then prepared to act. Medicine Ancestor could hold back no longer. He swiftly stepped forward to the tumor-like Xu Xiaoshou and pressed down Saint Sin's arm:

“The risk is too great. Let me take it on instead.”

“Oh?” Saint Sin's lips curved upward.

“Seventy percent of the New Heavenly Realm will be yours. There are still too many uncertainties with the Dao of Name; let me explore the path for you first...”

Hearing this, Saint Sin burst into laughter. Medicine Ancestor dared to utter such words, but Saint Sin found them almost unbearable to hear.

“If you wish to contend with this Ancestor for the Dao of Name, you may speak frankly. Why be so indirect?” Saint Sin lowered his arm, turned his head, and a cold glint flickered in his eyes.

Medicine Ancestor was truly desperate. How could he allow Saint Sin to seize the Dao of Name? The Heaven of Delayed Law was already powerful enough, and he hadn't even secured the Dao of Art yet. If Saint Sin were to absorb the Dao of Name now, his strength would grow even further. Later, if he wanted to deal with Medicine Ancestor, what could Medicine Ancestor use to stop him?

“The risk is too great!” Medicine Ancestor insisted, unyielding in his words.

“Do you wish to contend with this Ancestor?” Saint Sin seemed to almost anticipate Medicine Ancestor making a move, and anyone with a discerning eye could see the killing intent in his heart.

“No,” Medicine Ancestor quickly shook his head. “If you intend to seize the Dao, perhaps wait until I've absorbed the Malevolent Spirit; otherwise... the risk is too great!”

Saint Sin stared directly at him, then, after a long moment, chuckled and said: “What if this Ancestor's answer is 'no'?”

Tension filled the air! At this point, even the onlookers in the Apricot Realm could discern signs of a fracturing alliance between the Demonic and Medicinal Ancestors.

“The victor is king, the vanquished a bandit.”

“This Ancestor merely wishes to reclaim what rightfully belongs to this Ancestor, the spoils of war.”

Saint Sin shook his head slightly, gently pushed Medicine Ancestor aside, and slowly continued: “It was agreed initially that you would fight Xu Xiaoshou alone. Yet, if this Ancestor had not intervened just now, you would have long perished. Therefore, this is this Ancestor's prey, and this Ancestor intends to reclaim his prey...” Saint Sin narrowed his eyes: “Do you have an objection?”

Fine beads of sweat had already appeared on Medicine Ancestor's forehead, indicating the immense pressure he was under. He finally couldn't hold back and cried out: “Where does that leave me? If you absorb this Dao of Name first, and then wish to deal with me, how will I resist?”

Hearing this, a hint of mockery flickered in Saint Sin's eyes, as if he were looking at a pathetic worm. He scoffed: “That is your concern.” The weak are not worthy of sympathy. Whether or not to deal with Medicine Ancestor, he had not yet decided. But he would certainly seize the Dao of Name; even if the sky fell, it wouldn't stop him from strengthening himself. Medicine Ancestor wants to resist? He can try! But Medicine Ancestor would also have to experience the taste of the Heaven of Delayed Law!

“I'm going to begin.”

Saint Sin pressed down with a forceful palm, crushing the grotesque protuberance and embedding it into the tumor-like Xu Xiaoshou's forehead. Simultaneously, his spiritual intent reached Xu Xiaoshou's spirit and will, which were suppressed by the Heaven of Delayed Law.

Unlike soul extraction and possession, true Dao seizure was not a crude absorption either. What Saint Sin intended was to completely corrupt Xu Xiaoshou's defenseless essence on the physical, spiritual, and volitional levels, using his demonic power. Then, to make him willingly offer up all his insights concerning the Dao of Name, and all his knowledge of the Name Ancestor and Nuo Ancestor.

“Heart Demon Erosion Dao Art, activate!”

“Ayao, what are you hesitating for?”

“Shut up!”

“Saint Sin's Divine-Demonic Dao Sea is already complete. If he adds another Dao of Name, even if he doesn't fully seize it, you will inevitably be like fish on a chopping board, completely at his mercy.”

“Shut up! How could this Ancestor not know!”

Just as Saint Sin triggered his art, a sudden anomaly occurred. Medicine Ancestor still refused to release Northern Acacia, but instead erupted, activating an art and striking directly at the nearby Saint Sin.

“Reproductive Mother Domain!”

That complex and bizarre life force, like a constricting python, instantly enveloped Saint Sin's body, seemingly intending to transform him into a tumor-like Xu Xiaoshou as well.

But... how could Saint Sin be unprepared?

“Forbidden!”

A single word command was issued. Within the Heaven of Delayed Law, life force was directly prohibited. Under the power of the Divine-Demonic Dao Sea, Medicine Ancestor, who only possessed the River of Life and was still half a step away from the Sea of Life, was instantly suppressed. Not only was the Reproductive Mother Domain directly nullified, but eight demonic Dao chains extended from the Heaven of Delayed Law, directly binding Medicine Ancestor, who suddenly felt powerless.

“No—!”

Medicine Ancestor roared, his entire body lifted into the air by the Dao chains, yet he could not break free, no matter how hard he struggled. Saint Sin's eyes flashed with murderous intent: “I'll spare your dog life for now. Once this Ancestor secures the Dao of Name, I'll settle accounts with you.”

But just as he turned back, intending to continue dealing with the tumor-like Xu Xiaoshou, from within the Tree of Memory, a hoarse, wild laugh suddenly erupted. A formless, bodiless, unrestrained consciousness, carrying a vast amount of energy from the Tree of Memory, merged into the Heaven of Delayed Law.

“Hiss, hiss, hiss, Saint Sin, stop dreaming!”

“Xu Xiaoshou is mine, he belongs to the Malevolent Spirit!”

The Malevolent Spirit of myriad changes became utterly insane at this moment. He completely abandoned the Tree of Memory as a vessel, just to fight for a sliver of life. He dared to follow the flow of the Dao, parasitizing the Heaven of Delayed Law and merging into the Divine-Demonic Dao Sea.

Saint Sin was startled. What kind of art was this? “The Seed of Myriad Changes, the Art of Myriad Changes?” To conform to myriad changes, to conform to myriad laws, and then, amidst myriad changes and myriad laws, to transcend change and return to one's true self. His current self could no longer contend with Saint Sin. Having been discovered and still rooted in the Tree of Memory, he could only await death. If Xu Xiaoshou refused to ally, then he had to acquire Xu Xiaoshou, gain his Dao of Will, and with the help of the Name Ancestor's Dao of Name, the Malevolent Spirit would finally have a fighting chance. Under such circumstances, who wouldn't go mad? This madness, however, carved out a new path, and he truly succeeded in his madness.

When the consciousness re-solidified, the Malevolent Spirit had clearly used Saint Sin's Dao as a springboard, directly traversing the Heaven of Delayed Law's coverage and reaching beyond this divine court, momentarily touching freedom!

A blood-red skull divine throne conjured into illusory existence. The three-headed, six-armed Malevolent Spirit dared not delay. His hands already formed a hand-seal, and he lowly bellowed:

“Forbidden - Art of Myriad Laws Root Devastation!”

With a hiss, a pervasive, decaying gray aura bloomed across the sky, instantly sweeping across the entire Holy Divine Continent. In an instant, the grand net of heaven-and-earth Dao laws in this realm lost all its connection points, no longer able to solidify into form, nor to be borrowed by outsiders. Each Dao law, now independently formed, seemed to possess its own autonomous consciousness, refusing to be used by anyone. And the Heaven of Delayed Law, formed by borrowing the Dao laws of this realm, trembled in an instant. Its power became completely chaotic, showing signs of sudden collapse.

However... was Saint Sin truly unprepared?

“This Ancestor was waiting precisely for this moment — for you to leave the Tree of Memory and walk into the trap!”

Saint Sin suddenly turned his head; without a command, he merely raised his sleeve. The Dao-Quelling Profound Ruler, which had earlier been enchanted and suppressed within the heaven-and-earth Dao laws, then lit up under the Art of Myriad Laws Root Devastation. It didn't appear because the art disrupted it, but rather simultaneously. It appeared behind the Malevolent Spirit, precisely at the moment he was casting his art, and struck him fiercely.

“Boom!”

The Malevolent Spirit's illusory consciousness was caught off guard and instantly shredded, letting out a horrific shriek. The Cloud Brocade of Confluence and the Primordial Mother Coffin simultaneously manifested. The former transformed into thousands of chains, sweeping in with full force, gathering all the Malevolent Spirit's remnants of consciousness and binding them. The Primordial Mother Coffin's lid opened, taking in the Cloud Brocade of Confluence, and simultaneously sealing away all of the Malevolent Spirit's consciousness.

“Thud!”

With the lid shut, the matter was settled.

The multitude of onlookers in the Apricot Realm cried out in unison, a clamor of astonishment. Effortlessly, with just one wave of 'fishing enforcement,' Saint Sin lured out the Malevolent Spirit and sealed him within the Primordial Mother Coffin. From then on, the Tree of Memory, which had been born from the Malevolent Spirit's Dao power, had the Malevolent Spirit stripped away. Could the remaining Dao of Art still be used by Saint Sin?

“It's over!”

“It's all over, completely hopeless!”

“Can't win.”

“Can't win at all.”

“Whether it's Xu Xiaoshou, or Dao Qiongcang, or Medicine Ancestor, or the Malevolent Spirit, all have been subjugated by Saint Sin.”

It was at that very instant when the Heaven of Delayed Law's power became chaotic that Moon Palace Slave, in the Apricot Realm, experienced a surge of incredibly clear thought. She could clearly see Saint Sin's ambition. The Dao of Name, Saint Sin wanted it. The Dao of Art, Saint Sin wanted that too. Even Medicine Ancestor's Dao of Life and Dao of Reincarnation, once he was free, Saint Sin could seize those too!

As for Dao Ancestor, or rather, Dao Qiongcang, relying on the previous 'dog theory,' and with the Tree of Memory as a base, he might barely manage to survive. After all, the New Heavenly Realm still needed time and power to grow. During the period when the New Heavenly Realm was ascending to completion, Saint Sin wouldn't move against Dao Ancestor. But demonic nature is greedy! When the cunning hare is dead, the loyal hound is cooked; when the high-flying bird is gone, the good bow is put away. Dao Ancestor being stripped of his Dao was only a matter of time, after his utility had been completely squeezed dry.

The few who could resolve this situation were never Xu or Dao and their ilk, but herself, and the Eight-Character Order in her hand.

“Little Eight, come back...”

“They can't hold on anymore!”

Moon Palace Slave's eyes welled with tears, her fingers trembling. She pulled out the Eight-Character Order and crushed it directly. The Apricot Realm's Dao Transmission Firmament was suddenly kicked and shattered. Even the passage between the Holy Divine Continent and the Apricot Realm was kicked open.

Moon Palace Slave's body stiffened, not a sliver of strength could be mustered from her fingertips. Her pupils trembled as she stared disbelievingly at the person before her. What she saw was not Eight-Arm Ancestor, but... Saint Sin!

This Ancestral God of Zero, who had just been within the Apricot Realm's Dao Transmission Firmament and far away in the Holy Divine Continent, had, at the very instant she pulled out the Eight-Character Order, directly descended, his true self making an appearance!

“Did you think this Ancestor would overlook you?”

Saint Sin raised a hand, and with a ripping sound, Moon Palace Slave's arm was severed directly, blood scattering into the air. He reached out and made a grasping motion, not directly touching the Eight-Character Order. Instead, he seized Moon Palace Slave's severed arm, sealing it together with the Eight-Character Order in his palm. The Eight-Character Order was secured. Yet, to the Eight-Character Order's perception, the one holding it was still Moon Palace Slave. From beginning to end, it had not left Moon Palace Slave's embrace.

Watertight! Saint Sin had observed the entire situation; how could he allow even a sliver of an unexpected turn to occur? His meticulous caution, evident in maintaining the sealing of heaven and earth from beginning to end, was apparent. Now, having completed this step of seizing the Eight-Character Order, the overall situation was truly settled. Saint Sin didn't even directly kill Moon Palace Slave herself. After taking the order, he glanced at the woman with a mocking smile and turned to leave.

“Eight-Arm Ancestor?”

“Even if Nuo Ancestor came, he couldn't save you!”

“A chance!”

It was precisely when the Heaven of Delayed Law was thrown into chaos by the Malevolent Spirit's art, and while Saint Sin's true self personally went to the Apricot Realm, forcibly taking the Eight-Character Order and cutting off any possibility of Eight-Arm Ancestor's return from zero, that Medicine Ancestor, amidst the absolute suppression of the Dao chains, perceived a glimmer of opportunity.

Even the wisest, after much deliberation, will make a mistake. Saint Sin, despite all his calculations, couldn't have foreseen that although his Divine Farmer's Hundred Herbs was restrained, and the Heaven of Delayed Law had been chaotic for a moment before instantly regaining stability, the will of Northern Acacia within Medicine Ancestor's body was not simultaneously completely restrained.

What was Northern Acacia? An Ancestral God who had been deified and named an Ancestor! What else was it? A Ghost Beast! What was a Ghost Beast? A Ghost Beast was a parasite, an anomalous existence that lived by borrowing a host body, whose own power was connected to the host, yet also had an independent part.

And this independent part of its consciousness, though its power was slight, was enough, with Medicine Ancestor's permission, to unleash an art at the instant the Heaven of Delayed Law's power went out of control:

“Life Seed Refinement!”

At this moment, Medicine Ancestor and Northern Acacia were already grasshoppers on the same rope; how could Northern Acacia not exert its strength? As one art was unleashed, the power of life and the power of reincarnation were simultaneously invoked. Before the Heaven of Delayed Law regained stability, it had already manipulated Xu Xiaoshou, who had been completely mutated by the Reproductive Mother Domain, refining him into a Life Cocoon. At the same time, it cast him into the River of Reincarnation.

“Mine!”

“The Dao of Name is mine, Divine Farmer's Hundred Herbs's! Xu Xiaoshou's Dao of Will, Dao of Sword, and Dao of Body are also mine, Divine Farmer's Hundred Herbs's! No one can take them, not even Saint Sin! I control the very person; how could I hand him over to you? You're dreaming!”

“Hahahaha!”

Medicine Ancestor laughed maniacally. The instant the life-seeded Xu Xiaoshou was cast into the River of Reincarnation, he also relinquished his self-control over his body. Northern Acacia understood implicitly, for at this moment, they would either prosper together or perish together:

“Life Seed Reincarnation!”

Placing Medicine Ancestor's body into the River of Reincarnation as well. Either Saint Sin enters the river to find Medicine Ancestor, or Saint Sin enters reincarnation to find Medicine Ancestor. But either way, by the time Saint Sin found Medicine Ancestor... the Dao of Name, the Name Ancestor's assistance, the Dao of Will, the Dao of Sword, the Dao of Body, and all the rest, would have already changed their surname to Divine Farmer.

“How dare you?!”

Saint Sin had never imagined that Northern Acacia could still move under the Heaven of Delayed Law. This turn of events was a slip-up, a loophole exploited by Medicine Ancestor. He immediately turned back towards the Holy Divine Continent, directly seizing the heaven-and-earth Dao laws, about to reverse time and space. At the very least, he had to mend the fence after the sheep were lost, first marking Medicine Ancestor to find him in reincarnation.

But... even faster than Saint Sin, there was another person.

Just as Medicine Ancestor's stratagem emerged, and Northern Acacia cast his art, Dao Qiongcang stepped forward.

“You, too, dare to act?!”

Saint Sin's eyes nearly burst. This fellow, who had previously bowed in submission, dared to make a move at this very moment? Was he truly unafraid of Saint Sin settling accounts later? Yet, unexpectedly, Dao Ancestor manipulated Zero, simultaneously mobilizing over thirty million Heavenly Mechanism Puppets from across the five domains. Each puppet carried a dual-barreled cannon on its shoulder, accumulating energy for the Solitary Black Beams, and screeched piercingly, clamoring:

“Northern Acacia, you dare touch something belonging to Lord Saint Sin?”

“Are! You! Worthy?!”

At this instant, the Holy Divine Continent and the Apricot Realm both fell into complete silence. Not only were the onlookers completely unable to process the sudden change in the inscrutable Dao Hall Master's identity, truly becoming a 'dog,' even Saint Sin himself was stunned by the sharp clamor, then burst into uncontrolled laughter.

“Good dog!”

“What a loyal Dao-dog!”

“Just for daring to shout that out, witnessed by the entire continent, you will have a seat in the New Heavenly Realm! Indeed, the chief minion under the Demonic Ancestor's command is none other than you! All of them must die. Only you, Dao-dog, may sit at the table and partake in the grand feast.”

“Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom...”

Thirty million Solitary Black Beams simultaneously blasted out, at the very instant Northern Acacia cast his art. The deafening roar of the explosions almost ruptured the eardrums of the Apricot Realm's onlookers. But no matter how loud the explosions, they couldn't drown out the Dao Hall Master's piercing cries, insistent on kneeling like a dog:

“Lord Saint Sin, calm yourself!”

“This Divine Farmer's Hundred Herbs, this Northern Acacia— I'll help you take them down! Leave it to me, you can rest assured!”

“What are you doing?!”

Medicine Ancestor was on the verge of collapse. Never mind whether he was the Dao Ancestor, or whether he would act or not; Northern Acacia, you just needed to control the body and run! Even if you're blasted to bits or shattered, you still have to run! Is the Dao Ancestor the problem? The problem is Saint Sin is about to return! But why... why turn back at the critical moment? Why be stopped by a single shout from that Dao-dog? Why freeze in place like an idiot, missing this perfect chance to escape?

“Northern Acacia, you've ruined this Ancestor!”

However, at the very instant his soul boiled with rage, Medicine Ancestor suddenly saw a character resembling a distressed face ('囧') light up again on his chest.

No... that wasn't his own; that was Northern Acacia's...

“Memory, brand?”

At this instant, Medicine Ancestor, realizing something, felt all the hairs on his body stand on end. His soul trembled as if he had seen a ghost. Not until he finally realized that Northern Acacia wasn't unwilling to run, but rather that a flood of meaningless thoughts had suddenly erupted in his mind, replacing all his thinking and action, making escape impossible. Not until his peripheral vision caught sight of Saint Sin, who was laughing wildly, but then suddenly clutched his forehead, brows furrowed, as if a massive amount of impurity had been injected into his Violet Palace, causing unbearable pain. Not until his own thoughts jolted, and that familiar sensation returned, just like the widespread attack by Dao Ancestor during the 'return to zero' event when he was resisting the Malevolent Spirit's soul extraction and possession.

“Great Complexity Consciousness Art!”

On the Holy Divine Continent, the only three remaining Ancestral Gods, with their four wills, were simultaneously controlled for an instant by this Great Complexity Consciousness Art. Yet, after that instant, each broke free from the control using their own strength, only to discover that...

“Die!”

The thirty million Solitary Black Beams, energy rays fully charged with Starfall Realm Sky Crystals, were not aimed at Medicine Ancestor or Northern Acacia, but at the possessor of the fourth Ancestral God's consciousness!

Beside the Time Realm, Saint Sin's Ancestral God spiritual avatar!

“Huh?”

Saint Sin's avatar, who had been watching from the sidelines, was dumbfounded. He was still gleefully watching the show when suddenly, those thirty million black light beams curved, directly obliterating him into ash, leaving not even a speck of dust behind. Similarly, the sealing of heaven and earth, which had been maintained throughout the entire event, instantly evaporated under the barrage of Solitary Black Beams. Smoke billowed from the dual-barreled cannons on Zero's shoulders.

Dao Qiongcang, having played the 'dog' role, stepped out from atop Zero's head, took a deep breath of the five domains' polluted air, and sighed deeply: “Xu Xiaoshou, this time, I truly gambled my life, truly went all in.”

Saint Sin's heart constricted, his pupils dilating rapidly. His entire face at this moment was filled with nothing but shock and disbelief. Medicine Ancestor turned his head in astonishment. Northern Acacia's consciousness body also swept its gaze towards the edge of the Time Realm.

“What is that Dao-dog saying?”

“Wasn't Master Shou, that useless dog, refined into a life-seed and almost thrown into the River of Reincarnation?”

Countless onlookers in the Apricot Realm's Reception City stared blankly at the firmament screen, which was still not fully repaired after being shattered, collectively dumbfounded. It seemed even Mu Zili's professional operators of the firmament Dao transmission screen couldn't keep up with this extreme turn of events. After half a day of adjustments, the Apricot Realm's Dao Transmission Firmament finally shifted towards the Time Realm, presenting the Time Realm's passage—which remained after the sealing of heaven and earth was shattered—before the world.

“A figure?”

Through the hazy smoke, a figure was faintly outlined. But Saint Sin's avatar had clearly been shot to pieces, not even a speck of dust remaining. Who was this figure? The person was not seen, but their voice was heard. A familiar, teasing voice, carrying three parts absurdity, three parts mockery, three parts regret, and one part schadenfreude, quietly echoed beside the Time Realm's passage:

“Esteemed ones, my person is indeed a bit arrogant. But why go to such lengths? For three Ancestors to fight tooth and nail like this, merely to contend for this humble Ancestral God avatar of mine, Xu? Truly, what a grand joke!”