Chapter 1071: Count on You, My Left Arm

Why not say that people should read more books?

Xu Xiaoshou floated in mid-air, stunned as he watched Jiang Buyi's soul being completely devoured by the Feng Du Bai Gui. A thousand words were on his tongue, but in the end, they condensed into two large ones.

"Damn!"

Jiang Buyi is dead?

A Half-Saint, cut down by Mei Yiren's single sword?

It must be true, he's completely gone. He remembered when they killed the outsider, they destroyed the physical body first, then the soul.

The key difference between Mei Yiren's "Yu Hun Gui Shu" and "Huan Mie Yi Zhi" is that the latter silently erases a person's soul, while the former inflicts far more pain on the enemy!

With even his soul body eaten away, what could Jiang Buyi possibly use to revive himself?

Even so, Xu Xiaoshou still couldn't believe it.

Reaching the Wang Zuo Dao Jing is hard enough, let alone Zhan Dao or Tai Xu.

Logically, a Half-Saint shouldn't be this weak—or is it that Jiang Buyi isn't the one who's lacking, but Mei Yiren's status is just beyond measuring by ordinary Tai Xu... wait, ordinary Half-Saints?

In Xu Xiaoshou's eyes, Mei Yiren was no longer just a Tai Xu level figure.

This was a Half-Saint disguised as a Sword Immortal, an iron wolf in sheep's clothing—seeming harmless at first glance, but when he struck, he was more terrifying than anyone Xu Xiaoshou had ever seen!

While the onlookers were still reeling from the shock of Mei Yiren's sword destroying Half-Saint Jiang Buyi, thunderclouds suddenly gathered in the nine heavens above, and an enraged roar echoed through the entire Miracle Forest.

"Mei Yiren—"

It was Jiang Buyi's voice!

Xu Xiaoshou looked up in alarm and saw the void's thunderclouds forming an enormous face of Jiang Buyi, twisting and shifting amid endless angry flames and clouds.

"So he didn't die after all..."

"I knew a Half-Saint couldn't go down that easily!"

"But his soul was completely eaten by the Bai Gui, and his body was shattered by the Nine Arrows Sword—how could he still be alive?"

"...His will?"

Xu Xiaoshou recalled that day fighting the outsider, where they destroyed the body, then the soul, and even then, the will remained. His face darkened immediately.

But unlike the outsider, Jiang Buyi's will, now manifested in the thunderclouds of the nine heavens, didn't seem weakened—it looked ready for battle.

In fact, those thunder and fire clouds, threatening to shatter the entire Miracle Forest, were like a long-brewing ultimate move, not inferior to all the Saintly Arts Jiang Buyi had unleashed before combined.

Ah...

Mei Yiren also looked up, sighing deeply after a long moment.

He had anticipated these changes, but when they actually happened, he couldn't help but feel regretful.

He had hoped that what he destroyed earlier was just Jiang Buyi's Half-Saint avatar.

For a Half-Saint to reach such a level, while under the suppression of the Sheng Shen Dian Tang, their true body should logically stay hidden in a remote corner, not venturing out recklessly.

Because they fear accidents more than anyone, especially those "man-made" ones—like attacks from major dark forces on the continent or falling into someone's scheme to strip away their Half-Saint status.

So, Mei Yiren had guessed that Void Island was too dangerous for Jiang Buyi to come in his true form!

If it was just a Half-Saint avatar here, that sword of his would have sealed all escape routes.

Jiang Buyi's avatar wouldn't even send a single wisp of a message back to his true body before dying.

And even if it could, with Void Island in between, whether the death notice reached his true body on Sheng Shen Continent was another story.

But Mei Yiren never expected Jiang Buyi to be this bold!

He hadn't come as a Half-Saint avatar—he was here in his true form!

The combat power between a "Half-Saint true body" and a "Half-Saint avatar" doesn't differ much; the only real impact is on external aids—the avatar might not carry as many life-saving items as the true body.

However, the fundamental difference beyond combat is that if a "Half-Saint avatar" dies, it's truly dead.

But if the "Half-Saint true body" meets an accident, it can transfer all damage to a "Half-Saint avatar" at the last moment, saving the true body's life.

Why are Half-Saints so powerful?

Not just because they touch the Saintly Dao, but because they can condense Half-Saint avatars.

Why are Half-Saint avatars so powerful?

Because they can inherit up to 100% of the true body's strength, and as long as you have one, it's like having an extra life; with three, you have three extra lives!

Mei Yiren was baffled.

He thought things wouldn't turn out this bad, yet Jiang Buyi dared to bring his true body to Void Island—what was he after?

Xu Xiaoshou's life?

Has he gone mad? How could a minor figure like Xu Xiaoshou provoke a Half-Saint's true body to come personally for his life?

But if not Xu Xiaoshou, what else?

The North Domain Jiang Clan...

Oh, right—with that past connection, maybe he's after the Lei Family child?

But how could something from the Lei Family end up on Void Island? Has Jiang Buyi been tricked into coming here?

I'm tired...

Mei Yiren didn't want to fight anymore.

He knew his own condition all too well—it was all for show; that last sword had drained him enormously.

It was like an old man who hadn't exercised in decades suddenly getting a burst of youthful energy and running five laps around Sheng Shen Continent.

Afterward, he'd be utterly exhausted.

Fighting isn't my specialty; this old man just wants to be a teacher who doesn't have to move... Mei Yiren thought to himself as he gazed at the thunder and fire tribulation clouds in the nine heavens, though he couldn't show it and just felt even more helpless.

"Stand down, Jiang Buyi."

"This old man concedes. That last sword used up all my strength—if we keep going, we'll both end up gravely wounded."

The thunder and fire tribulation clouds erupted with a boom, the roaring echoes blasting through the air as Jiang Buyi's voice crashed down from the sky, his emotions completely out of control.

"But you cut down one of my Half-Saint avatars!"

Jiang Buyi was furious, his anger soaring to the heavens, mixed with a hint of tearful frustration.

He had thought the worst outcome of this battle would be damage to his soul, requiring years to recover.

But he never anticipated that Mei Yiren's "Space-Time Leap" would ignore his soul defenses and channel all the damage straight to his true body.

A dignified Half-Saint, cut down just like that!

In one sword, gone!

His defenseless soul body, under the fourfold realms of the nine great sword techniques, was instantly obliterated without even a ripple.

Rebirth: The Wave-Riding Great Era

Jiang Buyi was terrified.

If he hadn't transferred the damage to his Half-Saint avatar at the last moment, the world of Half-Saints would have lost one today!

What a horrifying reality!

Mei Yiren! The Sword Immortal! With the power to slay saints!

Half-Saint avatars are so hard to refine... Jiang Buyi felt both regret and hatred—Mei Yiren's sword had forcibly erased three-tenths of his strength, permanently!

"It was you who insisted on testing my sword—I already warned you beforehand."

Mei Yiren looked at the thunder and fire tribulation clouds above, trying to keep his tone calm to avoid provoking the other man.

"Think about why you came here, Jiang Buyi. If you really want to continue fighting, even if this old man ends up dying here, what will you gain?"

Exactly, what can I gain?

Jiang Buyi suddenly felt lost. He had thought Mei Yiren couldn't hurt him, so he hadn't taken anything seriously before.

But now, treating his opponent as an equal Half-Saint...

He realized that even if they fought to the death and one of them died here—with him, Jiang Buyi, being the survivor...

What would he get?

Killing Xu Xiaoshou to vent his anger?

Spending decades refining a Half-Saint avatar just to take out a junior's life, and in the end, gaining nothing of substance?

No matter how he calculated it, that was a bad deal!

But the problem is...

He had already paid the price for this battle with one Half-Saint avatar—that was decades of effort.

Now, not only was the avatar gone, but his face was lost too. If he really slunk away with his tail between his legs, what would that be?

Wouldn't it become the eternal joke: "Half-Saint Jiang Buyi, scared off by Seven Sword Immortal Mei Yiren with a single sword"?!

"Ah!"

A sudden roar of rage exploded from the nine heavens.

The tribulation clouds rolled, covering half the Miracle Forest.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

Streaks of crimson lightning struck down, turning the surrounding tens of thousands of li into utter chaos.

Mei Yiren understood.

Jiang Buyi didn't want to fight either, but he couldn't back down—retreating would mean losing a Half-Saint's dignity.

However...

Since he won't take the out I'm offering, then I won't hold back.

The crimson lightning fell from the nine heavens, but Mei Yiren stood unharmed, looking up calmly as he said:

"Jiang Buyi, this old man may be tired, but my earlier words weren't empty... I said three swords, and that's exactly three."

"If you still want to fight, I have two left. I just don't know how many Half-Saint avatars you have left to sacrifice."

At these words, the nine heavens' tribulation clouds swelled violently, expanding from tens of thousands of li to over a hundred thousand.

"Shut up!"

Jiang Buyi was truly on the verge of madness.

Endless lightning poured from his Xian Cai Liu Yun body, bombarding the earth and reducing the entire Miracle Forest to a scene of devastation.

Surprisingly, not a single stray bolt went off course or touched Mei Yiren in the slightest.

"Damn..."

In his invisible state, Xu Xiaoshou watched in shock.

Was this the "furious outburst" of a Half-Saint? It affected the whole Miracle Forest in an instant, more terrifying than all the tribulation crossers in the deep sea combined.

Yet, for all his terror, this Half-Saint...

Mei Yiren stood quietly in place, with the nine heavens' thunderclouds as his backdrop and endless flames as his scenery, arms crossed, standing alone amid the apocalypse, observing coldly.

Jiang Buyi didn't dare touch him at all!

"What is 'peerless elegance'? What is 'devouring the ages'?"

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes widened in realization—turns out, someone below a Half-Saint could indeed cut one down with a sword and drive another to rage with mere words.

This wasn't just "like"—Jiang Buyi's true body had turned into thunderclouds!

"Thump, thump, thump..."

Just then, the Sheng Di Long Lin, which had calmed down after Mei Yiren's entry, suddenly pulsed at an extreme frequency.

The sound waves even created a "fan zhen" force in Xu Xiaoshou's chest, piercing straight into his head, making it swell and nearly burst.

"What the hell?"

Xu Xiaoshou sensed danger approaching.

Without thinking, he locked the source onto the thunder and fire clouds in the nine heavens.

"Is Jiang Buyi going to kill me outright?"

It wasn't unreasonable for Xu Xiaoshou to think that way—he just put himself in Jiang Buyi's shoes for a moment...

"If I were Jiang Buyi..."

"Entering Void Island was because of that water ghost's trap; killing Teng Shanhai was because of Xu Xiaoshou's scheme; and getting a Half-Saint avatar chopped by Mei Yiren was also over that Sheng Nu, Xu Xiaoshou."

"Now, in this situation, without confidence to beat the Seven Sword Immortal, he'd definitely want to bolt."

"But slinking away in disgrace? Where would that leave a Half-Saint's face? He'd have to take a life to save some pride..."

Xu Xiaoshou thought it through, and his face paled.

Jiang Buyi couldn't take Mei Yiren's life, of course.

But earlier, Jiang Buyi had already figured out Xu Xiaoshou was hiding here, and he had openly said that once the Saint Domain shrank, Xu Xiaoshou's position would be exposed.

So, whose life would he take to salvage his pride...

Was that even a question?

"You bastard!"

Xu Xiaoshou gritted his teeth in anger. He couldn't beat Mei Yiren, so you're coming after me?

The Sheng Di Long Lin was still pulsing wildly, and his information bar wasn't idle either.

"Targeted, passive value: 1."

Targeted my ass!

Xu Xiaoshou panicked. If his earlier guess was 99% certain, this "targeted" confirmed it 100%—Jiang Buyi planned to take his life!

How? Xu Xiaoshou couldn't figure it out; he could only think of escape plans.

"I'm still in the invisible state, and the Sheng Di Long Lin is just warning me—I have a little time..."

"Cancel the invisibility and run straight to hide behind Mei Yiren?"

"No! That old bastard's killing intent is up; he'd strike first. In the chaos, I might not even get Mei Yiren's sword in time before Jiang Buyi grabs and crushes me!"

Xu Xiaoshou's mind raced.

"Use Step to the Heavens with spatial attributes, pop some pills, and flee thousands of li away?"

He looked up—those distant tens of thousands of li were all under Jiang Buyi's Xian Cai Liu Yun coverage.

Fleeing that far, Jiang Buyi would catch him for sure, but Mei Yiren wouldn't keep up!

In this situation, running far meant certain death!

His only chance was to stay in the battlefield...

"But if I stay and cancel invisibility, Jiang Buyi's Half-Saint will lock onto me faster than Mei Yiren; if I don't cancel, I'll just wait to be found—he'll get me anyway..."

Xu Xiaoshou clutched his head, nearly going mad.

Reality and the invisible world, which had no gap in his eyes, suddenly felt like yin and yang— one thought heaven, one thought hell.

Just then, as his "perception" spread out, his attention shifted from the battlefield and caught sight of the dean squatting under the distant spatial barrier, along with Ba... no, Big Mouth?

Behind them were hundreds of trembling, eager but bu gan approach stone giants.

And in the battlefield, besides Mei Yiren and Jiang Buyi, there was another presence— the Void Servant!

The Saint Domain had long been broken!

This big guy was still pretending, limbs splayed, pressed against what used to be the Saint Domain wall, now just air... struggling like some acting emperor.

Xu Xiaoshou had never seen such terrible acting from a giant!

But the Void Servant was too cowardly— afraid to advance or retreat, fearing that any move would draw the attention of those two monstrous humans in the fight.

Then, his life would be snatched away.

So, it endured the battle's aftermath and persisted until now, becoming one of the few still-standing structures in this ravaged forest!

"With so many people here, even giants, Jiang Buyi hasn't paid them any attention."

"That means his focus right now is only on Mei Yiren and me!"

"No, not 'me'—it's 'Xu Xiaoshou'!"

Xu Xiaoshou stared intently at the poorly acting Void Servant, noticing the dried, blackened blood on its body. Suddenly, his pupils dilated, and his lips curled up.

"Blood?"

He reached out, his fingertip still stained with the same black blood.

This was from earlier, when he touched it on the Zhen Xu Bei before meeting Teng Shanhai. He hadn't known what it was then, but now Xu Xiaoshou understood.

The Void Servant had bled on the Zhen Xu Bei at some point!

His left arm twitched, beginning to "transform," until it became an exact copy of himself, pressed tightly against him.

He merged his sword fingers and, gritting his teeth against the pain, severed that part of his body.

"The painting clone won't fool Jiang Buyi, so it's up to you, my left arm!" Xu Xiaoshou said solemnly, pressing his hand on his doppelganger brother.

What is a left arm and right hand? What is taking a knife for your brother?

It's on you!

You have to act well!

The Xu Xiaoshou formed from his left arm twitched, tears streaming down as he watched his original body's arm regenerate and heal quickly. He felt like an abandoned spare tire and wanted to say something.

Xu Xiaoshou covered his mouth, not giving him a chance, while he himself began to grow larger and larger, infinitely so...

Finally, reaching the hundred-zhang limit, feeling his qi sea about to burst, Xu Xiaoshou quickly pulled out the Mimic, smearing the remaining black blood from his fingertip onto it.

"Roar!"