Chapter 1074: Half-Sage Profound Decree Return

Too late!

Ban Sheng Xuan Zhi is the ultimate essence of the sacred path refined by a Ban Sheng, representing the most powerful application of the Dao based on their individual understanding. It is even harder to forge than a Ban Sheng incarnation, possessing the most lethal forces of 'guidance' and 'explanation.' Its only superior counterpart is the Sheng Di Jin Zhao.

In other words...

Throughout the world, only the Sheng Di Jin Zhao can suppress the Ban Sheng Xuan Zhi.

Among those of the same or lower ranks, with the exception of a very few individuals, it is essentially impossible to resist the influence of the Ban Sheng Xuan Zhi.

—For those who aspire to the Dao, facing the most essential interpretation of the sacred path, all are irresistibly drawn to it, striving to reach it.

The strange behavior of Xiao Kongdong and Ye Xiaotian stems from this.

In contrast, Mei Jiren is different from the other two. In the era before last, he had already experienced an audience with the sacred and confronted a Ban Sheng Xuan Zhi, knowing full well the level of power it represents.

Unfortunately, after destroying the Ban Sheng Xuan Zhi in his spiritual world, it was already too late to advise or stop the two beside him.

No one could have anticipated that Jiang Buyi would leave behind such a forceful contingency after his departure, especially after losing a Ban Sheng incarnation, and using it without any apparent gain.

—This loss is greater than losing two Ban Sheng incarnations. What is Jiang Buyi aiming for?

Mei Jiren couldn't figure it out.

But he seemed to understand why Jiang Buyi had said so much nonsense before leaving.

That guy used conversation to shift everyone's attention away from himself, redirecting it to themselves, all just to weaken their focus. This way, no one would react in the first instant when the Ban Sheng Xuan Zhi was triggered.

Without a doubt, Jiang Buyi succeeded!

In the scene, as the black-red Ban Sheng Xuan Zhi unfolded across the nine heavens, it seemed only Mei Jiren remained clear-headed.

Everyone else's minds began to feel dizzy, and involuntarily, they looked up.

In the spiritual worlds of Ye Xiaotian and Xiao Kongdong, this Ban Sheng Xuan Zhi was like the Sheng Di Jin Zhao they had seen deep in the sea that day...

Xiao Kongdong had never even experienced the Sheng Di Jin Zhao bestowed by his teacher!

Yet, as he gazed up at the sky now, he still felt his own insignificance.

His spiritual world was completely filled by the Ban Sheng Xuan Zhi, which contained the Ban Sheng's ultimate refinement of the sacred path. The content was simple, just a single character:

"Gui!"

What is "Gui"?

"The world's vanities begin in chaos; dust and forms arise from nothingness..."

"The Dao needs no adornment; the sacred points to the true self; raw jade should return, crude and unadorned..."

Though the Ban Sheng Xuan Zhi was merely the refined character "Gui," everyone who beheld this sacred trace heard faint sacred sounds echoing in their ears.

These interpretations of "Gui" by the Ban Sheng bombarded the minds of all who gazed upon the Ban Sheng Xuan Zhi, like resounding temple bells cleansing the soul.

"Pah!"

Ye Xiaotian immediately spat out a mouthful of blood, severely injuring his vital energy.

Unlike the 'proclamation' power of the Sheng Di Jin Zhao back then, this Ban Sheng Xuan Zhi was more like a 'command.'

It commanded all who aspired to the Dao to shed all superficial disguises, return to their true selves, and only then could they touch the essence of humanity—achieving 'unmoved by external things, undisturbed by personal sorrows'—thus transcending the mundane and approaching the sacred path.

"I... was wrong..."

Ye Xiaotian's eyes filled with deep regret.

He finally understood that leaving the Sheng Gong and establishing the Ling Gong was a way of 'sealing' his true self.

After seeing the higher world and growing weary of schemes and struggles, his chosen method of resistance was escape, not staying true to his heart and proving the Dao through strength.

That was why, after more than thirty years, he could only achieve a long-overdue breakthrough once he glimpsed his true self again.

And now, he was deceiving himself once more!

The battle of the Ban Sheng was far beyond his current level, yet to force his way in, he had swallowed sacred blood.

This path of craving external things, seeking shortcuts, and grasping for power was not the way to prove the Dao and attain sainthood!

One must "Gui" to the true...

"Pah!"

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Ye Xiaotian spat out another mouthful of essence blood.

This time, it wasn't just blood; the Ao Yi Zhen Tu under his feet swirled and faintly began to crack.

At the same time, the borrowed external powers—the sacred blood—all transformed into dense sacred energy and dissipated from his body.

Ye Xiaotian suddenly looked as if he had aged decades, with wrinkles and black death spots appearing on his skin.

In an instant, his interpretation of the 'Dao' and his yearning for the 'sacred' turned into 'over-interpretation,' 'obsessive longing,' and a state of 'greed leading to self-destruction,' fully manifesting on him.

"I... really was wrong..."

Ye Xiaotian was filled with remorse, even entertaining thoughts of dying for the Dao, returning like fallen leaves to their roots.

He extended his hands, thrusting them into his own chest, as if to tear open his flesh, rip out his heart and lungs, and prove his true form to the heavens, transforming himself into chaos and returning to the most primal state of the 'sacred' and 'Dao'—nothingness!

"Foolish!"

Just then, a ferocious monster forcefully entered Ye Xiaotian's spiritual world, stepping on the ten kings of hell and entwined with worldly dust.

Like a private tutor from the mundane world wielding a disciplinary rod, the monster rushed to the side of the student lost in obsession and, without a word, struck down with a sword.

"Man follows the Dao, the Dao follows nature, and thus one becomes sacred!"

"But man is man, the Dao is the Dao, and the sacred is the sacred—the three cannot be equated... Pursuing the Dao and the sacred does not mean 'merging with the Dao to become sacred,' turning into chaos!"

"Gold has no pure perfection, man has no complete flawlessness; the world has no absolute roundness, and I have no absolute self... Striving for perfection does not mean becoming perfect, because the perfection you imagine doesn't exist in the world!"

Mei Jiren's sword image roared, his eyes bloodshot, like one who had entered and emerged from the mundane world. With the simplest and most straightforward words, he delivered a harsh wake-up call to the person on the brink of abyss, pulling him back.

"These crooked paths, don't get stuck in them..."

"Wake up, you old fool!"

With one sword strike, the true intent of the Ban Sheng Xuan Zhi's "Gui"—guiding one to "dust to dust, earth to earth"—was instantly shattered in Ye Xiaotian's mental world.

"Ah!"

Suddenly snapping back to reality, Ye Xiaotian was drenched in sweat, his body trembling violently, his eyes regaining clarity.

Sweat from his forehead slid down his nose and dripped off, and he felt a burning pain in his chest. Looking down, he realized he had nearly torn his body in half, almost pulling out his liver and lungs, which scared him nearly out of his wits.

"You've become fixated..."

Mei Jiren sighed softly. After waking one person, he didn't dare delay and turned his attention to Xiao Kongdong.

Ye Xiaotian hurriedly took out pills and swallowed them, desperately suppressing his body's impulses, making sure not to glance at the Ban Sheng Xuan Zhi again.

After roughly mending his injuries, he had the energy to look toward Xiao Kongdong beside him.

Xiao Kongdong's condition was better than his.

For ancient sword cultivators, the hardest thing to cultivate is will, and the strongest is also will.

Thus, compared to Ye Xiaotian, Xiao Kongdong held on longer, but after all, having gazed upon the Ban Sheng Xuan Zhi, he only lasted ten breaths more before regret also appeared on his face.

As soon as that expression emerged, the true intent of "Gui" manifested.

Xiao Kongdong's features shifted, no longer those of Ba Zun An, and the scar on his neck faded, his thumbs regrew, returning to his original appearance.

"This..."

Even Mei Jiren was stunned for a moment.

You... you're not Ba Zun An?!

Before he could act, Xiao Kongdong, now back to his true form, showed intense struggle on his face, as if waging the fiercest internal battle.

Memories turned chaotic...

Xiao Kongdong felt as if he had returned to his childhood, meeting the man who had diverted his originally mediocre fate to an extreme path.

This was the most profound "Gui" in his spiritual world.

"Little guy, I see your face is exceptionally handsome, your bones extraordinary, like a celestial being descended from heaven, and you even have the Wuxiang Sword Body... Ah, what a waste on me—I could use that... Uh, off topic. Anyway, I have a peerless manual here, containing all my lifelong knowledge, unparalleled in history... Do you want to learn it?"

It's hard to imagine such deceptive words coming from a man in white with sword-like brows and starry eyes, exuding heroic elegance.

He carried two giant swords on his back, one purple and one gold, with two slim swords at his waist, one black and one green. He looked dignified and extraordinary, yet spoke like a street charlatan.

"You're the 'kidnapper' from the books, right? The one who tricks kids and sells them."

The child wasn't fooled, licking his candy figure and curiously eyeing the beautiful woman following the strange man... Is that the 'kidnapper woman'?

"Cough!" The kidnapper man seemed choked. "Little brat, where are your parents?"

"I'm from Wanfu Hall. Grandma Hu is over there buying fruit; she'll come find me soon." The child pointed elsewhere, where an anxious old woman was looking around... Huh, Grandma Hu can't see me?

"A Wanfu Hall orphan, huh?" The kidnapper man muttered, not minding. "Little brat, my inheritance is the most powerful. I'm not charging you, and I don't plan to sell you. Just take this peerless manual, read it when you have time, like learning to read—it's quick."

Without waiting for a response, he pulled out a thick ancient book, his voice full of temptation. "Want to go to heaven? Want to fly on a sword? Want to be as free as an immortal, unbound and carefree? Open this book, and you can do it!"

"I do..." The child put down his candy figure, seemingly tempted, but then recalled Grandma Hu's teaching: "Things that fall from the sky aren't pies."

"That's the spirit!" The kidnapper man unceremoniously slapped the heavy book onto his... forehead!

The child was terrified.

Such a thick book—just gone? Into my head?

Murder! Help!

"Study it well, practice it well. When you're famous, come find me. If not, never say you're my disciple!"

"Gui," returning to chaos.

And in chaos, memories were only fragmented.

Xiao Kongdong struggled in confusion, vaguely hearing the kidnapper man's voice continue.

"Sword practice isn't hard; you can master it in a few breaths. I don't have much time to teach you—I've got a fight tomorrow. I'll just demonstrate simply."

"Watch closely; I'm only showing it once. How much you remember is up to you."

"This is 'Mu Xia Shen Fo'... This is 'Banruo Wu'..."

"This is 'Shijian Yueqian'... This is 'Dier Shijie'..."

"This is 'Yuhun Guishu'... This is 'Fengdu Zhizhu'..."

Endless ghosts filled the entire street.

But the people on the street remained oblivious, as if they couldn't see them.

"Intent! Ghosts..." The child was frightened, and his candy figure fell to the ground.

"Little Eight, don't mess around like this. How can you force-grow a child like that? Aren't you afraid of ruining him?" Beside him came an ethereal, melodious voice that, even in reproach, soothed the heart.

"Hehe, I don't have time. Tomorrow I have to fight Hua Changdeng, so I need to teach him everything today." The kidnapper man didn't care, then leaned down and asked, "Little brat, got it all memorized?"

"Uh-huh, memorized! The nine great sword techniques, eighteen swords... Uh? What was it?"

The fragmented memories kept flowing, and Xiao Kongdong felt like he was about to break.

At that moment, the kidnapper man's voice came again.

"Entering the sword path, the early cultivation relies on 'practice,' and your physique ensures you'll reach a height quickly—what they call 'Zongshi' or 'Wangzuo'."

"Only then does the truly important part come—the 'enlightenment' I need to tell you about."

"How to put it..."

The kidnapper man paused, as if unable to describe it, and tried to explain.

"Enlightenment of the Dao is profound; you can flip through that book later, and a little figure will pop out to explain everything to you."

"In general, this Dao is profound if you say it is, ordinary if you say it isn't. Until you surpass me, you can think of it this way..."

"What sword cultivators refine, what spirit refiners refine, is essentially getting as close as possible to the 'Dao,' then sealing the 'sacred,' but not becoming the 'Dao' itself, nor being swallowed by the 'sacred' into a dead vortex. It's just... infinitely approaching perfection, but never perfect—that in itself is a kind of perfection!"

"Cough, it's hard to understand, right?"

"But this is difficult for others; for you, it's simple!"

The kidnapper man spoke earnestly, then suddenly smiled brightly.

"You have an excellent teacher. Until you surpass your teacher—me—you can open the book I gave you and think of it like this..."

"The Dao is me! The sacred is..."

His mind felt like it was splitting.

Xiao Kongdong was on the verge of losing himself in the chaos.

But he persisted; what his teacher said back then must be the key to breaking through this confusion.

Yet, he couldn't remember...

"The Dao is me, the sacred is... what? What is the sacred?"

"Ah—"

Xiao Kongdong's head throbbed painfully, blood overflowing from his seven orifices. He suddenly roared to the sky, his mind's memories wiped clean, and the black-red Ban Sheng Xuan Zhi spread, filling everything.

"The Dao is me, the sacred is... 'Gui'?"

Xiao Kongdong seemed to comprehend it all, thrusting his hands into his chest, about to tear himself open.

But just then, the kidnapper man appeared again.

He was just a hazy back, yet it felt like he was holding the child's face directly. Even with the overwhelming Ban Sheng Xuan Zhi behind him, he continued to explain gently:

"The Dao is me, the sacred is..."

Suddenly, as if sensing the Ban Sheng Xuan Zhi behind him that was about to destroy the child's consciousness, the kidnapper man whipped around, his brows furrowing fiercely.

"Get lost!"

With a boom, the Ban Sheng Xuan Zhi in his mind shattered.

Xiao Kongdong's eyes cleared, his pupils focusing sharply, then contracting suddenly.

"Ban Sheng Xuan Zhi!"

"This is Ban Sheng Xuan Zhi!"

"The character 'Gui' has the power to decompose all things and return them to chaos—never resist it directly!"

He tightly grasped the sword that Mei Jiren was swinging at him, suddenly speaking, which startled Mei Jiren and Ye Xiaotian.

"You... can free yourself from the influence of Ban Sheng Xuan Zhi?" Mei Jiren was stunned. This guy isn't Ba Zun An—how did he do it?

Xiao Kongdong saw that the two in front of him had freed themselves earlier and breathed a sigh of relief.

But before he could fully relax, he seemed to remember something and suddenly turned back.

In the distance, under the influence of Ban Sheng Xuan Zhi, everything was terrifyingly "returning to its original state"!

The massive stone giants that had been chasing him and Ye Xiaotian, which could revive even after being killed, collapsed one by one, melting back into the primitive mountains and merging with the Forest of Miracles.

The two Void Servants huddled among the stone giants had some intelligence, clearly having lived long enough to have countermeasures.

One crouched with its head in its hands, howling in agony against the mental pain; the other imitated it, not looking at the Ban Sheng Xuan Zhi, and just roared wildly.

"Xu Xiaoshou... Don't look!" Xiao Kongdong tried to stand, but realized he was exhausted. He could only shout a warning.

But as soon as he yelled, he saw that in the void, under the influence of Ban Sheng Xuan Zhi, a human silhouette materialized out of nothing.

Then, as the invisible state lifted, Xu Xiaoshou's true form appeared, clutching his head in excruciating pain as he "returned to truth."

"Mr. Mei Jiren!" Xiao Kongdong's heart tightened, and he immediately shouted.

Mei Jiren reacted, realizing who Jiang Buyi was truly targeting. He drew his stone sword and dashed into the air.

But at that moment, in front of the suffering Xu Xiaoshou, who had revealed his true form in mid-air, clouds and mist condensed, manifesting a vague figure.

"Hahaha..."

"So, even your Ba Zun An is fake, and you still dare to threaten me?"

The intent avatar of Jiang Buyi, preserved in the Ban Sheng Xuan Zhi, materialized. Before Mei Jiren could strike, he laughed ferociously, gathering endless sacred energy into his right arm and thrusting it out, piercing straight through Xu Xiaoshou's heart in an instant!

"I told you, you have only two choices."

"Either come with me and live with dignity, or... die in despair!"

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

Mei Jiren charged with his sword, but his figure was half a breath too late. The sight of Jiang Buyi laughing maniacally and turning back with a mad expression, his hand through the body, etched deeply into the eyes of Ye Xiaotian and Xiao Kongdong.

The Ban Sheng power dissolved every trace on Jiang Buyi's hand, just as the Zhusheng Yun Guang had erased Teng Shanhai earlier.

Xu Xiaoshou... was dead?

Ye Xiaotian's lips trembled, his whole body convulsing.

Thinking of Elder Sang, and the last line in that old man's final letter: "My foolish disciple, I'm entrusting him to you."

"No!"

Ye Xiaotian's eyes nearly split with rage. He lost all reason, stepped onto his Space Ao Yi Zhen Tu, and charged madly toward Jiang Buyi.