Chapter 2048: Playing Tricks

"Jìn Rén, go quickly. Remember to stall for time until I've completed my tribulation and shatter the Temporal Realm to save the world."

"No way! Who was it that swore I'd have a peaceful life next time? Aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning?"

"Jìn Rén, what do you see me doing right now?"

"You deserve to be struck by lightning!"

"The life after next, Jìn Rén, I promise. But this time, it's truly crucial. Go on, hurry. You can do it, one against four."

"Brother Main Body, in your eyes, do you truly consider me, Jìn Rén, a person?"

"Of course, Jìn Rén, you absolutely count as a person."

"But even oxen and horses aren't exploited like this! I just want to live! Am I wrong? How many lifetimes have I not lived for even a month? A week? Have you ever considered my feelings?"

"You can do it, Jìn Rén. Next life, when I give birth to you, I guarantee you'll be happy. How about I make you a Renowned Ancestor? And it just so happens that Renowned Ancestor will also be called Jìn Rén. What a coincidence."

"I, Jìn Rén, don't want to be a Renowned Ancestor! I, Jìn Rén, just want to be a person!"

"Absolutely, next life, absolutely."

"Aaahh..."

"Quiet! I'm undergoing tribulation. One shattered Berserk Golden Body is enough; do you want to shatter two?"

"Should it even shatter? If only you had used a single pool of Life Elixir, you wouldn't have been struck dead by the lightning tribulation, right?"

"Wasn't it too late then? I underestimated this 'Thirty-two Lightning Tribulation Array Group.' It's all Wǔ Bǎo's fault."

"Alright! I can go! But you have to give me some protective items, right? Cáng Kǔ, Tān Shén, Suì Jūn Shield, anything! Brother Main Body, you know I'll die for sure if I go alone!"

"You can do it, Jìn Rén, absolutely you can."

"Then give them to me! Don't just talk!"

"How about this, Jìn Rén? This journey will be arduous, a near-certain death. I'll use a Bizarre Illusion to create Cáng Kǔ and Tān Shén for you. As long as I'm not dead on my end, the Bizarre Illusion won't break. No matter what you encounter over there, it's impossible for them to be exposed. Dào Qióngcāng wouldn't even be able to see through it."

"Wow, please be a human being!"

"But remember, don't add superfluous details yourself or misuse the Bizarre Illusion. Suì Yīn can even restrict those who stand alone from the world. There's no telling what other methods the Medicine Ancestor might have that could touch the essence of the Bizarre Illusion."

"Then besides these, at least some Ancestral Source Power, a pool of Life Elixir, or something, should also be given, right?"

"Of course, Jìn Rén, absolutely given."

"Then give it!"

"How about this, Jìn Rén? This journey is perilous; there's no room for waste. Display Wú Liàng Jìzǐ, and I'll charge it to nine cycles. For the rest, you'll have to adapt on the fly. You can even use breathing techniques to absorb the enemy's strength, fighting to sustain yourself. If they doubt your identity, just use the Bizarre Illusion to conjure Heavenly Ancestor Power or God-Slaying Power. With the Bizarre Illusion, you actually possess everything; you can be entirely self-sufficient."

"Who said not to misuse the Bizarre Illusion?"

"Act according to circumstances, Jìn Rén. I recognize your judgment of the situation; you're even smarter than Dào Nìtiān. You are... Master Jìn."

"Wow, Brother Main Body, you're the smart one! You're the true master, you're the genius! You've taken 'empty-handed white wolf' to the extreme!"

"Genius? Of course, Master Jìn, I am a genius, then you are a little genius! Go quickly, no need to worry!"

Regrettably, the memories of this generation's Jìn Rén in my mind are limited to these.

That was the story of forcefully giving birth when the Temporal Realm was undergoing the Ancestral God's Annihilation Tribulation, and a plan spontaneously formed upon seeing the Temporal Realm passage suddenly open.

Jìn Rén was born amidst lightning strikes, emerging from the Temporal Realm passage as an intervener of the tribulation. He was supposed to be pursued and killed by the lightning.

Indeed, that was the case, but Xú Xiǎoshòu protected him.

When Jìn Rén returned to the Saint God Continent, his injuries weren't faked; he had truly just been born and almost struck to death by lightning.

Poor Xú Xiǎoshòu, undergoing his own tribulation, also had to act as both father and mother to give birth to a child. After countless admonitions, he then had to protect this newborn baby as it exited the Temporal Realm.

Ultimately, to ensure the success of the plan to deceive the heavens, he had to block the Temporal Realm passage from within while undergoing tribulation, simply to prevent the tribulation's aura from leaking out.

This created the illusion that he had completed his tribulation and also prevented various unforeseen circumstances, such as the avatar of Saint Xīn re-entering the Temporal Realm to investigate.

Facts proved...

Caution is the parent of safety.

This preparation was not mistaken!

Don't you see, as soon as the internal blockage of the Temporal Realm was complete, something from outside tried to break in—presumably some contingency from the Demon, Medicine, and Corrupting Ancestors, attempting to peek inside.

These four Ancestors were truly cunning!

Worthy of being the four Ancestral Gods who survived to the end!

How could Xú Xiǎoshòu dare let outsiders see that he was still undergoing tribulation? He immediately cooperated with Kōng Yúhèn to strengthen the blockade.

Pity those contingencies of the four Ancestors, whoever's child they gave birth to, they couldn't even enter the Temporal Realm. They were stuck between the Saint God Continent and the two planes of the Temporal Realm, unable to advance, and their true body likely wouldn't permit retreat.

Their ultimate fate is unknown, but they probably fell into a planar rift higher than the spacetime currents, completely lost and unable to return.

To defeat one of the four Ancestors' avatars without shedding blood was indeed a cause for pride.

However, the power of the Thirty-two Array Group of the Ancestral God's Annihilation Tribulation was truly not exaggerated.

Xú Xiǎoshòu genuinely didn't know what kind of thorough preparations the War Ancestor had made back then to overcome such a terrifying ordeal.

At the very least, after his Berserk Golden Body exploded once, he squandered three full pools of Life Elixir just to barely sustain himself into the later stages. In the end, he couldn't bear to use more, relying on his own endurance to withstand it.

Three pools of elixir!

That was terrifying energy sufficient to elevate someone to a new Heavenly Realm; it was the lifeblood of Divine Farmer's Hundred Herbs!

Giving Kōng Yúhèn three drops would have provided him with endless benefits, yet undergoing even the weakest Lightning Tribulation Array Group for the Heavenly Realm required this much.

What would a stronger tier, or even the strongest Ancestral God's Annihilation Tribulation, look like?

Could anyone truly pass through it?

Xú Xiǎoshòu felt like a frog in a well, truly underestimating the various masters of the Great Thousand Planes.

But after completing the tribulation, there was no time to dwell on these trivial matters that were already in the past. Crucially, the War Ancestor's Dharma Aspect had inexplicably gone into enlightenment itself, so Xú Xiǎoshòu didn't disturb it.

It was Kōng Yúhèn who directly appeared, crying and shouting not to shatter the Temporal Realm.

How could Xú Xiǎoshòu not shatter it?

Though he couldn't sense Jìn Rén's suffering, how could he not know?

"One against four" sounds simple. Without various external aids, without Life Elixir, without Passive Fist, etc., relying only on nine cycles of Wú Liàng Jìzǐ energy to sustain oneself...

Under the gaze of the four Ancestors, Jìn Rén would be nothing but a useless dog!

No matter how well the Empty Fort Strategy was played, once the disguise was seen through, he would be worse than a ball, being kicked around would be good, being torn into pieces wouldn't even be enough to vent their hatred!

Xú Xiǎoshòu was about to punch and explode the Temporal Realm.

Coincidentally, perhaps it was Kōng Yúhèn's great fortune, or Jìn Rén's determination, but at this critical juncture...

The spacetime passage opened again!

"Jìn Rén, I've come."

"You must hold on, you must live."

"The suffering you endured on the Saint God Continent will surely turn into the sweetest honey. You deserve the main seat in the Apricot Realm's Crystal Palace, not the Coral Throne, but the Glazed Dragon Throne!"

In that instant of chaotic power from the Heavenly Kingdom of Delayed Laws.

The Medicine Ancestor and Běi Huái moved. Dào Qióngcāng moved.

And Jìn Rén, who felt the power return only to be instantly restrained into a living seed, made the most difficult decision of his life.

Self-destruction!

In the moment he was submerging into the River of Reincarnation, Jìn Rén, unaware that the Great Profound Cognition Technique had restrained Běi Huái and the Medicine Ancestor, chose to achieve art through self-sacrifice.

Body, spirit, mind, and self—all four dissipated, dead beyond dead, eliminating any possibility of continued control.

After all, his true self might not have finished the tribulation.

And even if his true self emerged one breath late, Jìn Rén would still be at risk of being suppressed or possessed.

Better to be broken jade than an intact tile.

At least by self-destructing, all abilities related to his true self could not be fully known by the Demon, Medicine, and other Ancestors.

Including Passive Fist, Illusion Shattering Finger, and the matter of undergoing tribulation in the Temporal Realm.

As for how Dào Qióngcāng alone would handle the aftermath of his self-destruction?

That was Dào Qióngcāng's problem, unrelated to Jìn Rén, who was about to die.

Nine cycles of Wú Liàng Jìzǐ energy, relying on a single Empty Fort Strategy, dared to put on a brave face, challenging the four Ancestors upon arrival and gritting his teeth to hold on until now.

Who, upon hearing this, wouldn't exclaim that Jìn Rén was all courage, had done his utmost, and was a true hero?

Truly, not a drop was left!

The ripples from Jìn Rén's self-destruction blasted the Medicine Ancestor backwards on the River of Reincarnation, echoing the shattering of the Heaven and Earth Seal beside the Temporal Realm under the sweeping of thirty million absolute black beams, revealing Xú Xiǎoshòu's silhouette.

He died without seeing his true self's last glimpse, nor hearing his true self's last word.

But Xú Xiǎoshòu, after emerging from the Temporal Realm, as his consciousness perfectly integrated with his second true body, instantly read through Jìn Rén's desperate provocations and tragic end under the four Ancestors.

This also included the advantages and disadvantages of the Divine Court's Heavenly Kingdom of Delayed Laws, the complementary relationship between the Medicine Ancestor and Běi Huái, the secrets within Dào Qióngcāng's black memory traces...

All in all, Jìn Rén, this trailblazer, died too valuable a death.

"What a pity."

"Glazed Dragon Throne, I'll let you enjoy it again next life, but only once, no more."

Xú Xiǎoshòu mourned for a breath, seeing Jìn Rén off.

There was no time for sorrow, nor was it necessary, as he could always give birth again.

Immediately after, Xú Xiǎoshòu stepped out from the smoke, raising his hands high, carrying the unparalleled confidence of a god returning in divine attire, struggling to suppress the corners of his mouth that autonomously wanted to curl upwards:

"Continent of Xú, your emperor has returned!"

"Master Xú?!"

"It really is Master Xú!"

"No, he's definitely an Ancestor, Ancestor Xú!"

When that incredibly reassuring figure slowly emerged on the Apricot Realm's Sermon Sky Curtain, the entire Apricot Realm instantly erupted.

Where was any brokenness, let alone a terrible state?

This Ancestor Xú, though still mischievous, was in perfect condition compared to the one who had stood with a sword in the Crane Pavilion previously, simply incomparable.

He wore a black robe, with pearl and jade ornaments at his waist, black hair flowing freely, swaying in the wind, skin like congealed cream, faintly shimmering with iridescence, clearly incredibly tender, like a beautiful human-shaped jade sculpted by heaven and earth.

But that jade was not inanimate; it was vivid and lifelike.

A lazy white cat lay on his shoulder, clearly a creature nurtured with utmost care to achieve such absolute security, regarding the surrounding Ancestors as nothing, still yawning.

A black sword circled around him, its blade twisted, whimpering and humming, sometimes darting through the void, sometimes piercing its master's body without causing the slightest harm, clearly ignoring all Ancestral Gods and playing contentedly.

As he stepped forward, nine black moons were visible behind him, their power even more condensed and potent than the previous figure.

The Dao Rhythm was naturally formed, perfectly integrated.

The sky's light shone, reflecting upon his form.

Just standing by the Temporal Realm passage, onlookers could only think "perfect," unable to find more eloquent words to describe their feelings after seeing Ancestor Xú.

His mere appearance instantly eclipsed the Demon, Medicine, Corrupting, and Dao Ancestors.

"Suì Yīn is imperfect; that goes without saying. From beginning to end, her state was the worst."

"The Medicine Ancestor is imperfect; there's also Běi Huái inside the Medicine Ancestor, and he's been controlled by Saint Xīn from start to finish, constantly appearing incredibly irritable."

"The Demon Ancestor is even more imperfect; his head is completely mismatched with his body. The damage inflicted by the Divine Physician is clearly still present, and he needs time to heal."

"The Dao Ancestor..."

Where did the Dao Ancestor go?

While everyone was still comparing, they noticed that above the Sea of Memories, Zero was gradually fading, and even Dào Qióngcāng himself was gone.

After his last move, having clearly welcomed back his Xú, he seemed to be afraid and wanted to hide.

But he didn't completely vanish, as if he didn't dare, only partially concealed himself.

He deliberately diluted his presence, almost reducing it to zero.

But just as he was about to completely disappear, Xú Xiǎoshòu moved again, glancing over, and Zero immediately froze in place.

The other two Ancestors also stared wide-eyed at the figure in the void, almost tearing their eyeballs out.

"What?"

Xú Xiǎoshòu brushed off some dust from his clothes and smiled, "Are you surprised to see this Ancestor return to Zero, overshadowing the Eight Venerable Masters?"

More than surprised?

It was almost terror, horror!

The Medicine Ancestor, having endured the Great Profound Cognition Technique and then blasted back by Jìn Rén's self-destruction, could barely believe what his eyes saw and utterly refused to accept this reality.

"That one just now, was it fake?"

"Just an avatar?"

If that truly was Xú Xiǎoshòu's true self, he would never have chosen to self-destruct if there was even a sliver of hope.

After all, with body, spirit, mind, and self actively perishing, even the Eight Venerable Masters who return to Zero Ancestral God status cannot revive.

But if that wasn't Xú Xiǎoshòu's true self, what was the scene of the three Ancestors fighting over an avatar earlier?

Was it truly, as the newly appeared Xú Xiǎoshòu claimed, just an Ancestral God-level monkey show presented to the world, making them a laughingstock if it got out?

"This Ancestor, was I played?"

Such an absurd feeling was not limited to the Medicine Ancestor and Běi Huái.

Saint Xīn, utterly bewildered, also seriously doubted whether the Xú Xiǎoshòu he now saw was even more unreal.

After all, Xú Xiǎoshòu could be fake, and Tān Shén and Cáng Kǔ could be fake.

But the power of the Heavenly Kingdom of Delayed Laws, Saint Xīn knew perfectly well, absolutely could not be faked!

If what he saw now was real...

Then what was Cáng Kǔ, who was almost shattered by a single finger earlier?

What was Tān Shén, who was completely stripped of his fur by the Medicine Ancestor's power to die, and whose vitality was now completely extinct?

Saint Xīn turned his head, staring fixedly.

Cáng Kǔ, discarded by the sea, was still there.

And Tān Shén, whose body lay on the barren land, had not shattered.

"Real?"

"Fake?"

Saint Xīn felt like he was being driven insane.

Which one was real, which was fake, and how was it done?

"He did it..."

"No, He did it!"

Above Zero, Dào Qióngcāng's mind was shaken; he could hardly believe what he was seeing.

In the black memory traces, his agreement with Xú Xiǎoshòu... no, with Jìn Rén, was to summon the Eight Venerable Masters.

Even Dào Qióngcāng believed Xú Xiǎoshòu was truly at his wit's end.

That "Eight-Character Order" might not be shattered, but the final outcome would certainly require the Eight Venerable Masters to resolve it.

And that consciousness, which could be drawn into the black memory traces, possessed independent thought, and could even see himself—at that time, Dào Qióngcāng truly had no doubt that it wasn't Xú Xiǎoshòu, but Jìn Rén!

Now, with the true body revealed, all illusions collapsed.

Everyone had been played.

As for Cáng Kǔ, Tān Shén...

This most revealing point, Dào Qióngcāng didn't immediately realize where the problem was that prevented exposure.

Then, a thought flashed: Xú Xiǎoshòu possesses a technique that can transform other objects, making fakes indistinguishable from reality.

In fact, the transformed object is essentially real, and as long as the caster's power is not depleted, no one can distinguish it.

"So, Xú Xiǎoshòu underwent tribulation in the Temporal Realm, splitting off Jìn Rén."

"At the same time, it was Xú Xiǎoshòu, not Jìn Rén, who cast that transformation technique, twisting a part of himself into Cáng Kǔ and Tān Shén, which were given to Jìn Rén to use."

"And Jìn Rén came out of the Temporal Realm first, then was afflicted by the Heavenly Kingdom of Delayed Laws, his various paths suppressed. Then even Tān Shén's devouring power and the ghost beast bloodline's instinct were suppressed; all of it was real."

"But!"

Dào Qióngcāng's pupils contracted; he understood the most crucial point:

"This technique was cast by Xú Xiǎoshòu in the Temporal Realm; it was Xú Xiǎoshòu's technique."

"Jìn Rén was suppressed by the power of the Heavenly Kingdom of Delayed Laws, but what does that have to do with Xú Xiǎoshòu, who was in the Temporal Realm? If Xú Xiǎoshòu's power isn't depleted, then naturally Tān Shén and Cáng Kǔ will never reveal their true forms, even to death!"

"From beginning to end, he stood in an invincible position. If he didn't die in the Temporal Realm, the possibility of discerning Jìn Rén's identity from external objects was approximately zero?"

What is "Master Xú"?

This is "Master Xú"!

When the Saint Slaves first created momentum in the Five Regions, promoting the name of "Master Xú," the new second-in-command of the Saint Slaves, they even used extremely exaggerated claims, declaring:

"Unrivaled in the world, not Father Xú; avatars abundant, not Master Xú.""One person births thousands of offspring; difficult to discern if his techniques are righteous or evil."

Now, it seems those words have become a prophecy!

Indeed, there are two peerless ones: Xú Xiǎoshòu and Jìn Rén.

Indeed, he has the technique of avatars: two Cáng Kǔs, two Tān Shéns.

After this guy thoroughly integrated various paths, he's not just transforming into thousands, but has reached a point where one person can play thousands of people.

Xú Xiǎoshòu's technique is even more bizarre than Suì Yīn's forbidden techniques!

And now he has returned to Zero...

Since the Heavenly Kingdom of Delayed Laws restricted Jìn Rén's body, and Dào Qióngcāng's agreement was also with Jìn Rén, what did any of this have to do with Xú Xiǎoshòu?

From that single glance just now, which stopped him from disappearing, Xú Xiǎoshòu clearly still harbored killing intent towards him.

He didn't trust him!

Because he had exposed to Jìn Rén that he could summon the Eight Venerable Masters, from Xú Xiǎoshòu's perspective, he naturally also had trump cards to summon other things!

In a flash, Dào Qióngcāng's Adam's apple bobbed, his lips incredibly parched.

"Ancestor Xú..."

He opened his mouth with difficulty.

Even though he knew this might be hard for Xú Xiǎoshòu.

He still wanted to try, hoping to alleviate the suddenly extremely tense relationship between them:

"Ancestor Xú, if you would not despise me, I, Dào Qióngcāng, am willing to become your servant..."

Even the people of the Apricot Realm were stunned at this moment.

Wasn't it just a moment ago that the Dao Ancestor helped Ancestor Xú break the Heaven and Earth Seal, aiding his emergence?

Such an intimate relationship, going so well, why suddenly want to be someone's dog again?

"If not a subordinate, I, Dào Qióngcāng, won't do it?"

What step was he thinking so far ahead to, to be so terrified under Ancestor Xú's gaze?

Below, Saint Xīn's expression changed upon hearing this.

These words sounded familiar to him; he had believed this Dào Nìtiān's words then, and his Heaven and Earth Seal had been broken.

Without that, Xú Xiǎoshòu couldn't have emerged!

In every way, Dào Qióngcāng was the culprit!

But...

Believe him!

Believe him!

You must also believe him, and let this guy trick you just once!

Saint Xīn activated his Guiding Power to its maximum extent.

But wisely, he didn't apply it to Xú Xiǎoshòu himself. Instead, he made any statements in this plane more believable, making people instinctively want to accept others' requests.

But when he turned to look at Xú Xiǎoshòu, he saw the fellow glance at Dào Qióngcāng, then grin, actually mocking him openly, implying:

"You think I'm also a foolish dog, that if you dare to say it, I'll dare to believe it?"

One breath...

Two breaths...

Three breaths...

Amidst a huge sound, the ground beneath Saint Xīn's feet shattered, his hair bristling, eyes splitting with rage:

"Xú Xiǎoshòu, you're seeking death!!!"