Chapter 1104: Fight to the Last Moment

“Cha…”

Without a doubt, the Void General had no interest in the words spoken by other beings on the long street.

Yet, just as it had been momentarily roused by the reverence in the insignificant creature’s voice when it first heard the words “Void General,”

Now, as Xu Xiaoshou approached and directly uttered that title,

Even though the language was human, the reverence remained the same…

“Cha cha cha—”

The blood-red iron armor on its body clattered as the Void General’s head, which had been raised high toward the sky, suddenly lowered. The two faint ghostly flames in its eyes fixed on Xu Xiaoshou standing before it.

“Boom!”

In an instant, the Saint Emperor Dragon Scale in his hand began to beat faster, and Xu Xiaoshou felt his mind shake as an unknown force invaded.

It was like pulling up a screen of mastered passive skills; his vision went black, and his entire being detached from his body, entering another world.

“What… is this?”

Xu Xiaoshou was shocked. He hadn’t even drawn a passive skill yet—this was purely because the Void General had glanced at him and pulled him into its world of consciousness.

Telepathy…?

In the blink of an eye, Xu Xiaoshou figured it out.

The reason the Void General could exist as a spirit was undoubtedly due to its incredibly strong obsessions before death.

By using “Gui Qian” to scan the spirits of all things, he had essentially opened the gates to the spirit realm himself, presenting his half-spirit form to all souls.

On a spiritual level, the only barrier between Xu Xiaoshou and the spirits of all things was a thin veil.

And in the presence of the once immensely powerful Void General, that veil might as well not exist.

Thus, with a single glance, the Void General drew Xu Xiaoshou into its world of obsessions.

“Very well, let me see exactly what your obsessions are…”

Xu Xiaoshou didn’t resist this telepathy much.

First, with his own formidable spirit, and his consciousness still clear, he could withdraw anytime he wanted. With an escape route, he could explore this world without restraint.

Second, Xu Xiaoshou was already deeply intrigued by the Void General.

Whether intentional or not, this telepathy, akin to “soul reading,” was a perfect opportunity for him to understand the Void General’s past.

Finally, even if he stepped back further, the beating of the Saint Emperor Dragon Scale hadn’t reached a life-threatening level, and Xu Xiaoshou didn’t believe that the two bodyguards behind him would leave his safety completely unprotected.

“Come on!”

Dropping his last mental defense from his passive skills, Xu Xiaoshou fully opened his thoughts and merged with the world of obsessions brought by the Void General’s gaze.

“Rumble—”

As they merged, the world before his eyes transformed.

The long street was still the same long street, and the Giant Kingdom was still the Giant Kingdom, but now, it lacked that ancient, weathered feel.

No dust had accumulated, no moss had grown…

In the Void General’s world of obsessions, the Giant Kingdom was at its peak.

On the long street, hordes of warriors resembling Void Servants clad in black armor that seemed fused with their skin marched forth.

Some soared through the nine heavens, others advanced along the street sides, hurrying like soldiers rushing to battle.

And the Void General…

Or rather…

“I!”

Xu Xiaoshou lowered his head and saw that he wore a brand-new, blood-red suit of armor, with the ground far below his pupils—about a zhang away… something no normal human stature could feel!

I’ve become it?

I am the Void General now?

Xu Xiaoshou clenched his fist and felt a surge of power in his body—pure physical strength, without any spiritual yuan or sword intent.

I am of the Giant Race now!

“Boom.”

Without further thought, the ground beside him on the long street shook as another giant, about the same height and clad in fresh armor—this time blue—landed.

From its aura alone, Xu Xiaoshou could tell this one was no ordinary foe; it was at least another Void General!

“Hong…”

The Void General in blue armor spoke in a heavy tone, using the language unique to Void Servants that Xu Xiaoshou had encountered before, saying gravely:

“You… has fallen in battle…”

“The front lines… need… you…”

“This time… side by side… or… the final… battle…”

The words came in fragments.

This wasn’t the Giant Race’s way of speaking; it was just that the soul memories of Void General Hong were shattered, transmitting only disjointed scenes.

Yet, even in these fragments, a profound sorrow rose in Xu Xiaoshou’s heart.

Combining what Mr. Mei had said earlier, “You” was undoubtedly another Void General, “Hong” was the one he was embodying, and the one in blue armor before him was…

“Fei…”

Xu Xiaoshou hadn’t even prepared himself when a thick, hoarse voice emerged from his mouth: “I… am always… ready…”

So, this third Void General was called “Fei”?

Turning his head, Xu Xiaoshou—as Void General Hong—looked behind.

On the long street behind, tens of thousands of giant soldiers, each about a zhang tall—which was modest for the Giant Race—stood in neat formation.

Without exception, they all wore black armor that fused with their skin—like the later Void Servants?

Xu Xiaoshou raised his massive two-handed sword high, feeling the world shrink beneath him as he reached the height of a sky-piercing giant.

“Battle!”

With his body enlarged, war drums pounded from the rear, and Void General Hong’s piercing voice shattered the nine heavens, filled with killing intent:

A thunderous boom echoed as the long street shattered and dust flew.

The orderly giant formation behind him unleashed their restraints, transforming into hundreds of zhang-tall black giants resembling Void Servants.

They raised war axes, great halberds, giant hammers… and roared furiously, shaking the eight directions:

“Kill, kill, kill!”

The scene shifted.

Amid the swirling dust and a battlefield thick with killing intent,

The remains of Void General Fei, enlarged and clad in blue armor stained with black blood, were impaled through the chest by a demonic great spear that Xu Xiaoshou recognized—the very one that had been under Jiang Buyi’s foot during their confrontation at Xiaokongdong.

It had fallen!

And it wasn’t the only one…

The ground was littered with giant remains, limbs scattered everywhere, corpses piled high, blood flowing ankle-deep.

Intense pain coursed through his body, wounds bleeding, and familiar demonic energy rampaging within, eroding his strength… For a normal person, this might have driven them to qi deviation and mental collapse.

But Xu Xiaoshou’s will didn’t break; he had a “no qi deviation constitution.”

His thoughts remained clear…

Xu Xiaoshou realized he was still in Void General Hong’s world of obsessions, inhabiting this body, and now in the midst of battle!

“Battle…”

The voice was weak to the extreme, rolling from his throat.

His vision blurred with thick, sticky blood as Xu Xiaoshou struggled to lift his gaze.

He couldn’t see the enemy clearly, only glimpsing a figure with a giant body, enveloped in endless demonic energy.

She was smiling.

With her own hands, she plunged the two-handed sword belonging to Void General Hong into Xu Xiaoshou’s chest.

“Roar—”

Xu Xiaoshou threw his head back, the immense pain and unwillingness turning into a roar, staring unclosed eyes at the blue sky, his mind holding only one final will:

“Ranming… I’m sorry…”

“I… can only… go ahead… one step…”

Space began to crack.

On the night-shrouded long street, just as Xu Xiaoshou had approached the image of the Void General he had sketched,

Mei Yiren, Xiao Kongdong, and Gui Po hadn’t even seen the Void General in the painting make a move… perhaps it had, but Xu Xiaoshou hadn’t had time to draw it out.

The next second,

“Rumble—”

The world of illusionary sword technique conjured by Xiao Kongdong collapsed with a boom, and the long street painting was destroyed by some terrifying force, shattering into spiritual energy that dissipated in all directions.

“Pfft!”

Xu Xiaoshou seemed to take a heavy blow, spitting out a mouthful of blood as he was flung backward, even losing his grip on the Saint Emperor Dragon Scale.

“Ah, what nonsense!”

Mei Yiren muttered under his breath, instantly assessing that Xu Xiaoshou wasn’t dead, just that his spirit and soul had been severely impacted, leaving him completely broken—dazed eyes, utterly lost, and unlikely to recover for three to six months.

In the next instant, he flashed forward.

Reappearing in the spot where Xu Xiaoshou had stood,

He caught the recklessly acting king Xu Xiaoshou with his left hand, shielding him behind, while raising his stone sword high with his right, his cold gaze full of menace.

“Spirit of the dead, why do you cause trouble?”

As the words fell, the sword manifestation behind him—with the Ten Kings of Hell underfoot and ten thousand swords paying homage—rose like a awakening giant, towering to the heavens.

“Whoa…” Gui Po, who had been thinking of using this opportunity to escape, sensed something off behind her and suddenly turned back.

In the next breath, that monstrous, terrifying sword manifestation hadn’t even struck, yet it left a deep imprint in her heart, nearly making her curse.

“What the hell is this thing!”

“Is this something that kindly old sword immortal would cultivate?”

“The power of a Half-Sage is nothing compared to this!”

Gui Po felt her lips dry and her legs go weak.

She didn’t dare run anymore, fearing that any movement would provoke the sword manifestation to glance at her and take her life.

While Gui Po couldn’t discern the other powers of Mei Yiren’s sword manifestation,

The aspect belonging to the soul path, known among ancient sword cultivators as “Gui Jian Shu,” was something she recognized at a glance.

This was far beyond her level!

Even if she fled a hundred or a thousand li, she’d still be within range of that sword manifestation’s casual strike.

Want to run? Dare to run?

She’d die without knowing how!

“Heart Sword Technique, second realm…”

Mei Yiren, having revealed his sword manifestation, had no intention of holding back.

He knew all too well how fearsome the spirit of the Void General was—something that could shatter Xu Xiaoshou’s soul in an instant—so he went straight for his trump card: the second sword he’d reserved for Jiang Buyi!

So what if it’s invisible?

So what if it’s powerful?

Even if it’s unafraid of death and charges; even if it’s scared and turns to flee…

My one sword will clear all living and dead spirits within ten thousand li—you can’t break through it, and you can’t escape, forced to slumber quietly in the void!

Such thoughts flashed through his mind…

“Whoosh—”

An invisible sword wave swept across ten thousand li.

The ancient city buildings on the long street, towering hundreds of zhang high, suddenly floated up as if weightless, their cuts unnaturally smooth.

Then, under the shocked gazes of Xiao Kongdong and Gui Po,

Another “whoosh” sounded, and those massive city structures vanished one by one, as if they’d never existed!

No explosions, no shattering, not even turning to dust first…

They were simply erased from existence, as if they’d never belonged to this world.

Even the memories…

The images of those ancient city buildings in Xiao Kongdong and Gui Po’s minds began to fade away.

Their expressions shifted from shock to normalcy,

As if the ancient city towers, the long street, and the entire Giant Kingdom had always been this way—a flat platform with exceptionally smooth surfaces.

Behind Mei Yiren, the sword manifestation Qing Wuer Sword merged its palms, transforming into a translucent great sword that pierced the clouds and slashed down from the heavens.

Mei Yiren himself held his plain stone sword steadily, without a ripple, and uttered the name of the Heart Sword Technique’s second realm:

“Bore…”

“Teacher, wait!”

At the critical moment, Xu Xiaoshou finally recovered from the impact of the obsession world.

Opening his eyes, he saw his teacher Mei Yiren, in righteous anger over his injury, about to erase the world with a sword.

In the second glance, even as everyone else was blind to it, facing this world-ending sword, the Void General Hong—with a great sword through its chest and kneeling with head raised—remained unmoved!

It ignored Mei Yiren’s devastating sword entirely, its eyes wreathed in ghostly flames fixed straight on Xu Xiaoshou, showing not just its obsession for endless battle, but a hint of curiosity.

—Curiosity toward this human who could see it, intrude into its mental obsessions, and withstand the powers of the demonic god, the Giant Race, and two Void Generals without dying.

“Battle!”

Suddenly, it roared, as if venting its inner unwillingness and fury.

Xu Xiaoshou jumped, thinking it had sensed Mei Yiren’s sword and was about to counterattack.

But he quickly realized he was wrong; this roar from Void General Hong wasn’t aimed at Mei Yiren or himself, but pierced through endless time and space, directed at its enemy from back then—a manifestation of its obsession.

Xu Xiaoshou scanned with his perception and noticed that aside from himself, Xiao Kongdong, Gui Po, and even Mei Yiren seemed oblivious to the roar, just as they couldn’t see the Void General Hong.

He reached out, stopping Mei Yiren from striking, and said softly, “It has no malice.”

“Swoosh!”

The translucent great sword from the sword manifestation changed from a vertical slash to a horizontal cut.

“Bore Wu” not only dispelled the traces of Mei Yiren’s strike but also eliminated the backlash from forcibly retracting the sword.

“No malice?”

Mei Yiren halted his action, turning a cold eye, surprised at how quickly Xu Xiaoshou had recovered from such severe injuries, but more reprimanding him for getting hurt in the first place.

How could this be no malice?

You were nearly destroyed!

“It didn’t attack me; it just pulled me into its world of obsessions to experience some fragments of its past… I was just too weak to handle it.” Xu Xiaoshou scratched his head, a bit sheepish.

Mei Yiren: “…”

“What do you plan to do?” he asked directly.

“Let me handle this myself!” Xu Xiaoshou didn’t explain further and walked back to the kneeling Void General Hong.

He finally understood that this powerful spirit cared nothing for the current era.

The hatred in its eyes was still directed at its enemy from that time—the terrifying figure shrouded in demonic energy—and it remained indifferent even to Mei Yiren’s earlier attempt to strike it down.

“Battle!”

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly shouted loudly, startling Mei Yiren, Xiao Kongdong, and Gui Po.

“Received rebuke, passive points, 3.”

“Received glare, passive points, 3.”

With that shout, Void General Hong’s eyes, flickering with ghostly flames, focused again on Xu Xiaoshou.

Xu Xiaoshou summoned the “Gui Qian” at his brow, forming red characters, and raised his fist, swinging it heavily in front of him.

He spoke in the Giant Race’s language.

As the words fell, a surging battle intent burst from Void General Hong’s eyes. Though still kneeling, its aura soared to match the heavens.

It responded in kind, with a resounding voice—in the Giant Race’s language that Mei Yiren, Xiao Kongdong, and Gui Po couldn’t hear or understand.

Xu Xiaoshou retrieved the Saint Emperor Dragon Scale and noticed its heartbeat had calmed. Even though his mind was racing with thoughts like:

“Is the contract okay? Is the contract okay? Is the risk big? Is it big?”

“Thump.”

The Saint Emperor Dragon Scale seemed to stir from rest, stretching lazily as if rolling its eyes.

Xu Xiaoshou felt relieved.

So, the so-called “danger” was just that trip into the obsession world. As expected, the risk wasn’t high—things from the water ghost were reliable!

Xu Xiaoshou roared once more, then gently extended the “red character Gui Qian,” inching it toward Void General Hong’s brow.

No adverse reaction…

“Buzz.”

The “red character Gui Qian” smoothly entered the spirit of Void General Hong, and Xu Xiaoshou felt a connection form between them.

With a thought, he drew this once-powerful being into the soul space he had opened after forming the “red character Gui Qian.”

Even as it knelt from the long street into Xu Xiaoshou’s soul space,

Void General Hong’s gaze remained fixed on its enemy across endless time and space. With little consciousness left, it followed its new master Xu Xiaoshou in roaring: