Chapter 768: Teng Shanhai, right? Send another divine object, and I'll spare you.

On the other side.

Just moments after finishing a fierce fight with the storyteller, Teng Shanhai, who had dominated with his powerful cultivation, now gazed at Xu Xiaoshou in the distance. Xu Xiaoshou was staring at him like the Grim Reaper, and Teng Shanhai felt deeply unsettled.

Xu Xiaoshou's stare wasn't frightening in itself.

But the phantom of the Nine Dragons behind him, which had stopped its movements along with his words, unleashed its full oppressive force directly onto Teng Shanhai's head.

Crack!

The floorboards underfoot began to crack first.

Completely locked in by the power of the peak Saint Image, Teng Shanhai now felt the qualitative gap between Taixu force and Saint force.

Where did this thing come from?

Teng Shanhai was truly shocked.

He could tell that the young man in the distance was the same one he had blocked earlier, forcing him to flee in panic.

But...

How much time had passed?

How had he returned like a completely different person, now with a Saint Image behind him?

If you had this thing, why did you run before?

Are you toying with me?

Whoosh.

A faint wind sound arose at that moment.

One second, Teng Shanhai was still cursing inwardly.

The next, Xu Xiaoshou, intent on slaying another Taixu, was right in front of him.

How do you want to die?

Xu Xiaoshou tilted his head.

After stepping into the heavens in one stride, he was now just a step away from Teng Shanhai.

Without any other movements.

But with the momentum of pressing his advantage to the peak, bolstered by the Saint force's pressure,

At that moment, Xu Xiaoshou arrived with the Saint Image, and that single question made Teng Shanhai feel oppressed, much like the giant in the "Qi Tun Shan He" illusion that had once overwhelmed Xu Xiaoshou.

Boom!

The ground suddenly collapsed, and space twisted outward in rippling waves.

Teng Shanhai bent his legs and arched his back, barely able to withstand the terrifying pressure from Xu Xiaoshou's question and the Nine Dragons Incinerate Ancestor.

Kid, do you really think that with a Saint Image and catching me off guard, you can disregard Taixu?

Teng Shanhai was furious.

Yet, when facing Saint force, Taixu had an insurmountable chasm—Saint Dao suppression!

Teng Shanhai resisted the Saint force while retreating at lightning speed, pulling a jade bottle from his ring and crushing it in his hand.

A point of golden light bloomed.

Saint Blood!

Without hesitation, Teng Shanhai opened his mouth to swallow it.

He could scorn the Innate realm, but to fight a peak Saint Image, he first had to counter the Saint force suppression.

Otherwise, in the upcoming battle, he would be hindered at every turn.

However,

What happened next was completely beyond everyone's expectations.

As soon as Teng Shanhai retreated, Xu Xiaoshou understood and smiled, stepping into the heavens to follow.

When Teng Shanhai pulled out the jade bottle, Xu Xiaoshou teleported even closer, his smile growing wider.

As the Saint Blood emerged,

Xu Xiaoshou's face showed an expression that said, "As expected."

Then,

Hiss!

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly sucked at the void.

This suck seemed like child's play in front of a Taixu, at most producing a ridiculous slurping sound in the air.

But when the Nine Dragons Saint Image drew upon its Saint force, the Saint Blood that should have flown into Teng Shanhai's mouth changed direction mid-air, shooting straight into Xu Xiaoshou's mouth.

Even Teng Shanhai himself lurched forward violently, nearly losing his balance and falling into Xu Xiaoshou's gaping maw.

This was the Breathing Method!

With the Saint Blood flying toward him,

Xu Xiaoshou naturally couldn't drink this second drop of Saint Blood.

According to Sang Lao, this Saint Blood wasn't specially refined by Jin Zhao Bansheng, and its backlash was terrifyingly strong.

One sip, and he might be done for.

After all, he was only at the Innate realm...

Drip!

But Xu Xiaoshou remained composed and prepared.

He pulled out a jade pill bottle, caught the flying Saint Blood inside, sealed it with a stopper, and stored it back in his Yuanfu, using the power of his small world to suppress the Saint Blood's resistance completely.

This series of actions flowed seamlessly, as if he had rehearsed it in his mind countless times.

Everyone was stunned.

Teng Shanhai, who had just barely suppressed the riot of spiritual energy in his body, came to his senses only to find the Saint Blood gone...

At that moment, Teng Shanhai's mentality nearly exploded.

What kind of spiritual technique is this?

This technique is disgusting!

Before using it, there was no fluctuation of spiritual energy or Heavenly Dao at all?

Even Teng Shanhai, the chief of the War Division, had foolishly thought after Xu Xiaoshou's suck that the guy was just preparing for the upcoming battle with deep breaths...

But damn it!

Where was the deep breathing?

It was a life-stealing suck!

Teng Shanhai was still raging inwardly.

Meanwhile, after securing the Saint Blood, Xu Xiaoshou stepped forward, pressing Teng Shanhai down as if he bore a mountain, bending his back like a shrimp, with the Cang Shen Jia creaking and buzzing on the verge of shattering.

Do you have any more?

Xu Xiaoshou smiled faintly and said calmly, "If you have more Saint Blood, I might spare you for now."

This made Teng Shanhai's lungs nearly burst with anger.

He, a mighty Taixu, was being suppressed like this by a mere Innate junior?

Worse, the guy acted so nonchalant, as if crushing a Taixu as an Innate was perfectly normal and acceptable to everyone.

The storyteller behind them watched in a daze.

He had been beaten by Teng Shanhai's fearsome Cang Shen Jia, leaving his body cracked and bleeding everywhere.

But at that moment, with Xu Xiaoshou—a small Innate—standing before him, he felt an immense sense of security!

The storyteller's eyes sparkled with admiration.

In his mind, Xu Xiaoshou with the Saint Image on his back was nearly on par with his brother.

His figure seemed so towering...

His voice so magnetic...

Every gesture of his was irresistibly captivating!

Received admiration, passive value, 1.

Outrageous!

On the other side, Teng Shanhai couldn't take it anymore.

The young man in front of him was too detestable, too hateful!

Losing the Saint Blood didn't mean a Taixu couldn't fight a Saint Image—it just meant he'd have to divert more focus to counter the Saint Dao suppression.

Beyond that,

Teng Shanhai believed that even if he suppressed his cultivation to the Zhan Dao level—or even Wangzuo—he could crush Xu Xiaoshou like an ant with two fingers.

Cang Shen Force, activate!

With a roar,

The Dao patterns on Teng Shanhai's Cang Shen Jia lit up brilliantly.

In that instant, he seemed possessed by an ancient demon god, enveloped in black and red Xuan light, shrouded in peak Cang Shen Force.

Then, he straightened his back abruptly, standing straight as a spear just a few steps from Xu Xiaoshou.

A Taixu, facing Saint force head-on.

Terrifying indeed!

Xiao Shen Gun...

Teng Shanhai extended his right hand into the void lightly.

As the Cang Shen Jia clanged, a massive spear, thick as a boulder and over three meters long, suddenly appeared in his palm.

This spear was incredibly domineering!

With the same black and red hue of the evil god, swirling with murderous aura, it complemented the blazing Xuan light of Teng Shanhai's Cang Shen Jia perfectly.

The Xiao Shen Gun, a lost divine artifact recorded in the ancient Lost Pattern Stele.

It had claimed millions of souls over the years.

Its spearhead alone was as large as three human heads.

For ordinary people, being pierced by it wasn't just a stab—it would split them in half!

Xiao Shen Gun, Divine Break of the Vast Sea!

Teng Shanhai roared in fury, swinging the massive Xiao Shen Gun with both hands, twisting his waist in mid-air, even contorting his Cang Shen Jia.

In this strike, energy merged with force, and force with intent.

Taixu force surged from the earth, up through his feet, refined through his waist and stance, then channeled into his arms and poured into the glowing Xiao Shen Gun.

Kill!

In the nameless realm of the nine heavens, phantom shadows seemed to emerge.

Bleak bones and wailing crows, rivers of blood and floating corpses.

Countless lives destroyed, millions of bodies piled high.

Sand and stones flew through the heavens, and malevolent energy filled the void.

As the Xiao Shen Gun swung through the air, the phantoms shattered instantly.

But the killing path of those shattered illusions materialized into a bloody stream of light, howling as it merged into the Xiao Shen Gun, as if lending Teng Shanhai its power.

Die!

With the weapon fully swung, Teng Shanhai's eyes bulged with rage.

The Xiao Shen Gun was a lost divine artifact from the Lost Pattern Stele.

With this strike, he would make its name resound through the heavens again.

With this strike, he would resist the Saint, challenge the Saint, even destroy the Saint!

Received threat, passive value, 1.

As Teng Shanhai fully activated his Cang Shen Jia and drew the Xiao Shen Gun, Xu Xiaoshou felt as if time itself had slowed.

The Taixu force wasn't just affecting the Heavenly Dao—it was distorting his own perception.

In what felt like the blink of an eye, yet also an eternity,

Teng Shanhai had finished charging, and the bloody strike that had slain millions was upon him.

The scene was utterly terrifying.

As a mere Innate with a phantom image, how could Xu Xiaoshou dare to take a desperate blow from a Taixu head-on?

His instinctive reaction was to step into the heavens and dodge.

But as soon as he moved, his spiritual sense detected that the surrounding space had been completely sealed by the Xiao Shen Gun, leaving no escape.

More importantly...

The Saint Image was angry!

Yes.

Xu Xiaoshou felt as if the Saint Image behind him had suddenly come alive.

The Taixu in front refused to kneel and even swung his spear.

This was a defiance of the Saint Dao!

This was a disregard for hierarchy!

Such absurd thoughts flooded Xu Xiaoshou's mind.

Before he could resist the urge, his hand lifted of its own accord.

Those who insult the Saint, die!

Though a deep, ancient voice echoed in his mind,

Xu Xiaoshou uttered it in a calm, unruffled tone.

This declaration was like the Grim Reaper reading a sentence, a judge calling for execution.

The order of reincarnation in the heavens was completely overturned by Xu Xiaoshou's words.

No matter the queue of souls, the next one to enter the underworld had to be this offender before him!

With the Saint words spoken, the heavens trembled.

Dragons were startled in the sea, phoenixes turned south.

Almost simultaneously, the storyteller, Mei Si Ren, and even distant figures like Wang Da Chui, the disheveled uncle, or Rao Yao Yao rushing to the trade fair with her sword,

All witnessed another heavenly phenomenon emerging from Xu Xiaoshou's Nine Dragons Incinerate Ancestor—the Dragon and Phoenix Phenomenon.

Then, everyone realized their bodies...

Had slowed.

Time had slowed...

In Xu Xiaoshou's spiritual sense, everything in the heavens had turned sluggish.

Distant people, the wind on the long street, the spear before him...

All of it.

He even had the leisure to watch the fallen signboard of a ruined house slow its descent amid the Saint force's disturbance.

The swirling dust hung lazily in the air.

He could hear the heartbeats of those around him suddenly stop.

And within their bodies, the flowing blood intertwined into a beautiful symphony.

He could faintly smell the fresh night air of Wang City after the rain, the earthy scent of plants, the foulness of snakes and insects...

Time and space converged at that moment, manifesting a unique fragrance.

The fragrance of all things with spirit.

The comprehension of life and death under the Saint Dao.

A transcendent understanding of nothingness and existence, of time and space, of past and future.

To seek the Dao in the morning is to die content in the evening!

In that instant,

Xu Xiaoshou felt as though he understood nothing, yet grasped everything.

He truly transcended the world in soul and spirit, gazing down upon all beings with utter calm.

The heavens are not benevolent, treating all things as straw dogs.

The Saint is not benevolent, treating the people as straw dogs.

Equality, non-action, going with the flow...

So it is.

Thus, it suffices.

The Dragon and Phoenix Phenomenon lasted a mere moment before reality returned.

The Xiao Shen Gun swept in from the left, and Xu Xiaoshou calmly lifted his left hand.

He felt his Innate strength was too weak and needed amplification.

So, without a conscious thought, the power of Jin Zhao Origin Seed surged into his left hand, along with Heavenly Dao and Saint Dao forces.

He sensed that a technique was needed to block life and death.

Thus, the obscure inheritance from Sang Lao in the Eight Palaces flashed in his mind, now crystal clear.

Whoosh, whoosh.

A faint white flame sound arose.

Xu Xiaoshou's left sleeve began to turn to black ash, flaking away like petals in the wind.

Then, his left arm, from fingertip to wrist, elbow, and shoulder,

Inch by inch, blackened and decayed.

This was the ultimate compression of white flame, the complete convergence of Heavenly Dao and Saint Dao, the absolute control of power!

Sleeveless · Charred Hand.

Xu Xiaoshou murmured softly.

As the words fell,

The Saint words dissipated, and the heavenly ban lifted.

Everyone's faces turned to horror, their minds still reeling from the previous moment's thoughts, shocked that Xu Xiaoshou would try to catch the Xiao Shen Gun bare-handed.

Yet, only Mei Si Ren and Rao Yao Yao, standing at the pinnacle as Seven Sword Immortals, could react.

They realized that Xu Xiaoshou's left arm was filled with endless Saint force!

This...

As everyone pondered,

The spear met the palm in the field, exploding with a sudden crash.

But in an instant, all sound vanished.

The heavens were pulled into a vacuum by Teng Shanhai's strike.

Jaws dropped in shock.

All that remained in the dispersing smoke was Xu Xiaoshou's entire body, completely shattered and mangled by the Xiao Shen Gun.

Gone?

Everyone was stunned.

Had Xu Xiaoshou, who summoned the Saint Image and acted so arrogantly, intent on slaying a Taixu, just been obliterated by a single strike?

Ha ha ha!

Teng Shanhai clutched the Xiao Shen Gun and laughed wildly: "A Saint Image? In my view, it's nothing mo—gah?"

His words cut off abruptly.

Because when he tried to pull back the Xiao Shen Gun, Teng Shanhai found it wouldn't budge.

It was as if the spear had been clamped by a Saint and couldn't be withdrawn...

Not as if—!

When the smoke finally cleared, everyone stared in horror at the sight: Xu Xiaoshou's body had indeed been blown apart by the Xiao Shen Gun.

But on the spear's shaft, a charred, decayed left arm remained, bare and unmoving as Mount Tai...

The strike had demolished the man but not his arm?

A sudden gust stirred.

Starlight dotted the sky, and Saint force gathered.

From that charred left arm, flesh began to regenerate bit by bit.

In less than three breaths, Xu Xiaoshou's body was fully restored by the Saint force.

And his left arm now gripped the Xiao Shen Gun, which was thicker than his own body!

That really hurt...

As Xu Xiaoshou regained his senses, he grumbled inwardly.

He didn't even know how he had pulled off that move, but with everyone watching in shock,

He couldn't disappoint them now.

So, Xu Xiaoshou turned to Teng Shanhai, grinned at the dumbfounded Taixu, and with a yank of his left arm, pulled the Xiao Shen Gun from Teng Shanhai's hands, storing it in his Yuanfu.

Thanks, I'll take your gun as well.

Xu Xiaoshou stepped forward.

With the furious Saint Dao force of the Nine Dragons behind him, Teng Shanhai was slammed to his knees with a boom.

At that moment, the backlash from the Xiao Shen Gun finally hit.

Teng Shanhai trembled all over, blood pouring from him.

As he lifted his gaze,

He saw Xu Xiaoshou leaning down, looking at him with a kindly expression, as if eyeing a treasure.

Teng Shanhai, right? Give me another divine item, and I might let you live.