Chapter 789: The Painting Style Collapsed Again The Predecessors May Lose Their Integrity Before Mastering Painting

With "Hua Hui Jing Tong" at the Wangzuo level, as long as Xu Xiaoshou integrates his own Dao Ze insights, he can grant temporary life and combat power to the objects in his paintings.

But it's not limited to that.

Returning to the most essential aspect of "painting," between the Xiantian and Zongshi levels, "Hua Hui Jing Tong" has instilled in Xu Xiaoshou the most solid painting foundations. Techniques like brushwork, perspective, framing, coloring... and so on! That's why Xu Xiaoshou's current sketch of this chicken is quite rough, using only black and white to quickly produce a simple drawing. If he were to take it seriously and invest the time, he could detail every aspect of the black and white chicken, including its feathers, comb, and even the shiny little nails on its claws.

"But there's no need..."

Xu Xiaoshou knew this well. For something meant for battle, it's not that the more details you sketch, the stronger the chicken becomes. On the contrary, the chicken's combat power depends only on the level of "Hua Hui Jing Tong" and his own cultivation. But this discovery is still crucially important. Because...

"If I don't want this chicken for fighting, but need a person to help me bluff?"

Xu Xiaoshou's mind raced quickly, soon thinking of ideas that ordinary people couldn't or wouldn't dare to consider. He didn't dwell on it further, but glanced around, looking toward the other side. At that moment, the black and white chicken that had pecked through the void was still clucking noisily. With no commands from its master, it wandered aimlessly through the Yuan Fu world, leaving Xu Xiaoji amazed as he watched. But soon, the rolling Void Ling Yuan and the rippling Dao Ze drew his attention to the commotion Xu Damo Wang was causing on the other side.

Xu Xiaoji turned to look. After a moment, his expression shifted from amusement at the strangely appeared ghostly beast chicken to one of solidification, then surprise, and finally unmasked shock!

"This, this is..."

Xu Xiaoji was stunned. He gazed at the human elder's form gradually solidifying beside Xu Shao. At first, it seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place who it was. Yet when the form fully materialized and the void seemed to stroke it with a divine brush, draping it in red robes, Xu Xiaoji was dumbfounded. He even stumbled and fell to the ground.

"Red clothes... Guard, Guard Ye?"

In that instant, Xu Xiaoji's lips formed an "O" shape. How could he not know Guard Ye? That figure in the sky above the trading event was exactly this person! Back then, it was just chanting scriptures, but Xu Xiaoji could clearly sense that among the red-clothed group, the one paying the most attention to him was this elder! But when had he been imprisoned in the Yuan Fu? And how had Xu Xiaoji not known about it? Moreover, wasn't he a Zhan Dao? Had Xu Damo Wang already captured a Zhan Dao before his breakthrough?

Soon, Xu Xiaoji sensed something off. He was familiar with Guard Ye, but the one summoned by Xu Shao seemed... less imposing?

"How is it?" At that moment, Xu Xiaoshou finished inscribing his void thoughts and turned back, seriously asking Xu Xiaoji for his opinion.

"This isn't the real person, right?" Xu Xiaoji asked hesitantly.

"Naturally." Xu Xiaoshou nodded slightly. "Compared to the real one, how does this visualization hold up?"

Xu Xiaoji's mouth twitched a few times.

Visualized... So Xu Damo Wang could just conjure a Zhan Dao out of thin air? Was he some kind of god?

The void counterfeit of Guard Ye stood still, and with that, Xu Xiaoji mustered some courage, stepping forward to touch and probe it.

"It feels real, full of vitality and spirit." He hesitated before speaking. "But it lacks the Zhan Dao presence, like a mere puppet..."

"It's originally just a puppet." Xu Xiaoshou chuckled.

He turned back to look at the counterfeit Guard Ye, his thoughts sinking as he recalled the proud and aloof aura of the real red-clothed elder he had encountered most. With that insight, he added a highlight to the counterfeit's eyes.

"Boom!"

It was as if thunder rumbled in the void. The suddenly exploding aura nearly toppled the thirty thousand Dan Ding. Xu Xiaoshou jumped in fright. Was this the effect of "dotting the dragon's eye"? After the shock, he realized that by imbuing the counterfeit Guard Ye with the Zhan Dao aura from his own thoughts, he had almost drained his Ling Yuan and mental energy! Fortunately, his breakthrough to Zongshi had upgraded his endurance across the board to Wangzuo level. Xu Xiaoshou merely swayed, his vision darkening briefly, but he quickly recovered without collapsing from exhaustion.

"How about now?" He looked back at Xu Xiaoji, his pale face full of anticipation.

Xu Xiaoji was pressed down by the wild aura, struggling to lift his head. This was terrifying. Xu Damo Wang hadn't even moved! The counterfeit Guard Ye he had been watching suddenly gained life in its eyes. The next second, the Zhan Dao aura erupted, feeling as if a divine spirit had granted it true life...

Xu Xiaoji pondered, marveling, "It's lifelike, almost identical to the real thing... except for one flaw: it doesn't move or speak?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Xiaoshou fell into thought. Since this figure came from his hand, he was its master, and their connection was even tighter than the one with Zang Ku. With a mental command, the counterfeit Guard Ye trembled, tilted its head, fixed its eyes fiercely on Xu Xiaoji, and roared,

"A grain of rice dares to shine?!"

Xu Xiaoji thudded back to the ground again. The counterfeit Guard Ye's sudden burst of aura matched the real Zhan Dao's exactly. That roar nearly shattered his soul. But because he knew it was a fake, Xu Xiaoji was even more shocked: "Shao Ye, this, this, this..."

"What's wrong? Any other flaws?" Xu Xiaoshou was thrilled.

He had personally experienced Guard Ye's Zhan Dao aura, so even without being a Zhan Dao himself, using his Wangzuo-level painting skills to mimic that familiar presence was effortless. A mortal painting could capture the essence of warriors and statesmen in humble forms—how much more could Xu Xiaoshou's skills, far beyond mortal limits, achieve against a mere Zhan Dao aura?

Xu Xiaoji got up and circled the counterfeit Guard Ye, clucking in amazement. Once he calmed down, he commented, "The aura is there, but the movements are stiff, like a puppet... Still, Shao Ye, you're incredibly strong. How did you pull off this 'visualization' technique?"

Xu Xiaoshou didn't entertain the flattery. He needed the counterfeit Guard Ye to withstand real combat and scrutiny from enemies.

"Movements stiff, like a puppet..." Repeating the phrase, Xu Xiaoshou thought of "Fang Zhi Jing Tong." Thanks to that passive skill, he had long been able to multitask. Normally, there wasn't much need for it, and controlling a chicken didn't require much effort. But manipulating the counterfeit Guard Ye was different. A puppet and a person were worlds apart.

With that thought, Xu Xiaoshou split his spiritual mind into two uses, merging half into the counterfeit Guard Ye.

"Hey!"

The red sleeves flicked, the eyes narrowed slightly, and the muscles on the cheeks were pulled upward. Then, it lunged forward, raising its hands high, and bellowed,

"Great Dark Heaven!"

The void aura surged, and the spiritual energy wave rolled out like a tsunami. Xu Xiaoji watched in shock as the counterfeit Guard Ye transformed in an instant, then turned to stare at Xu Damo Wang. To his surprise, Xu Damo Wang was manipulating the counterfeit while smiling calmly at him, unaffected by the multitasking, and asked as if nothing had happened, "How about it?"

"Gah..."

These sounds weren't from a chicken but from Xu Xiaoji's chattering teeth. He realized it was over. He could already imagine the chaos Xu Damo Wang would wreak on the outside world. This was the perfect ability for framing and deception! As the saying went, "strange powers confuse the divine." Xu Damo Wang's trick went beyond confusing gods—it would bring havoc to the eight directions of the human world!

Picking at nits while trembling, Xu Xiaoji glanced upward: "The aura is full, the spirit is abundant, but there's no actual effect."

He meant that the counterfeit Guard Ye's cry of "Great Dark Heaven" should have triggered a spiritual technique, but now, aside from the wind, spiritual pressure, and other illusory fluctuations, there was no tangible result.

Xu Xiaoshou had anticipated this, smirking, "No rush, let the night fall for a bit."

Three breaths later, Xu Xiaoji watched as night descended, turning the entire Yuan Fu world dark. At that moment, he couldn't find any faults.

"Received fear, passive value, 1."

Anyone could splash ink on a painting, and it didn't even require a technique! Xu Xiaoshou sighed deeply, though he regretted that Guard Ye's ability could shield the six senses. His night was truly just night.

Then he thought, if he could apply human forms and states to void paintings, could he store spiritual techniques or moves as physical paintings for later use?

Xu Xiaoshou fell into deep thought. This was tricky because it involved the principles of array disks, which diverged greatly from "Hua Hui Jing Tong." He could visualize a fake person or fake spiritual technique effects, but manifesting a real one out of nowhere? That was godlike—impossible. Besides, storing spiritual techniques posed a huge problem. Still, based on his idea, depicting some special effects of special spiritual techniques should be feasible, right?

With that notion, Xu Xiaoshou stirred his thoughts. In no time, a massive golden Buddha appeared behind him. Over thirty zhang tall, it towered like a giant, with fierce eyes and a beard, wielding a great sword. As it swung the sword, time itself seemed to slow. Xu Xiaoji nearly wet himself in fear until the sword passed through him without any harm, and he realized he wouldn't die after all. It was just another of Xu Damo Wang's "visualization" feats.

"Visualization..."

"What exactly is this spiritual technique?"

"Xu Damo Wang, what has he comprehended?"

"Why is his Zongshi breakthrough completely different from everyone else's?!!!"

Xu Xiaoji's mind roared. He was going mad. Xu Damo Wang was already terrifying enough, and with these illusory decoys, if others adapted to this rhythm, wouldn't they think he was joking when he actually unleashed a real giant Buddha strike? Then they'd end up dead...

"Mad, mad, the world has gone mad!"

Xu Xiaoji clutched his pants, relieved nothing came out, and scooted backward on the ground, trying to distance himself from this dominant-level demon. Glancing up, he saw Xu Damo Wang still deep in thought, still improving, refusing to leave anyone an out!

The "visualization" method was hugely draining, yet Xu Damo Wang always recovered to peak condition in no time. Just as Xu Xiaoji thought this perfect state might be another faked illusion to mislead, following the counterfeit Guard Ye, Xu Damo Wang summoned another vividly real figure every short interval.

Counterfeit Sang Lao, counterfeit Shuo Shuren, counterfeit Ba Zun An, counterfeit Gou Wuyue, even counterfeit Ai Cangsheng...

They all appeared! Most of them Xu Xiaoji had never seen in person, but as figures renowned across the world, he had glimpsed their portraits and heard their legends before entering the Yuan Fu and falling into this demonic abyss!

Now, as this motley crew of monsters and spirits materialized without regard for alliances, each with their subtle movements and speech styles, staging a world-shaking confrontation before him, Xu Xiaoji's worldview shattered into pieces.

He watched as counterfeit Ba Zun An charged with his sword, shouting maniacally,

"The sky is but one zhang and eight chi for Ba Zun An, who dares face half of Qing Ju! Who will fight me to the death?"

Counterfeit Gou Wuyue drew his famous sword Nu Lan Zhi Sheng: "I will fight you, old man. Bring the sword!"

Counterfeit Sang Lao sneered: "You couldn't even handle one punch from my handsome disciple. How dare you fight him? Watch my Black Hand... Pull!"

Counterfeit Ai Cangsheng: "Despicable! My Evil Sin Bow, my Great Dao Eye... Oh god, I would give everything for the power to heal my lower body."

Counterfeit Rao Yao Yao: "Hah, a half-paralyzed man, just wait to die on the sacred mountain!"

Counterfeit Shuo Shuren: "Brother, brother."

Counterfeit Ba Zun An: "You sissy, get out of my way!"

With that, he slashed counterfeit Shuo Shuren in two with his sword.

Xu Xiaoji was stupefied. He stared blankly at this epic battle. If the world saw this, the shattered worldviews could fill the sea and create new lands.

Xu Xiaoji averted his eyes, not daring to watch, but the shocking words still echoed in his ears, pushing him toward collapse.

"So, this is the world inside Damo Wang's mind?"

"It's over, the Sheng Shen Continent is doomed."

"The elders' lifelong reputations are about to be ruined!"

On the other side, Xu Xiaoshou wasn't just playing around. Through this grand battle, he had become adept at sketching three-dimensional portraits of anyone he had seen before. He discovered that these "visualized" counterfeits, as long as they were sustained by spiritual energy, wouldn't vanish. The techniques they performed, as long as he expended his Ling Yuan and mental energy, could also be "manifested"—just with reduced power. However, the phenomena could be amplified without limit, depending on the painter's boundless imagination.

And Xu Xiaoshou had "Fang Zhi Jing Tong" for multitasking and his own endless Ling Yuan reserves. As long as he imbued these figures with some minor gathering array attributes during visualization, the subsequent figures wouldn't drain much of his energy at all. This essentially meant the visualized beings were hard to dispel!

In this world where portrait rights didn't apply (in Xu Xiaoshou's view), as his "visualization" grew more skilled, the figures he created became even more impactful. With his "perception" enhancing his memory, he could perfectly replicate everyone's subtle expressions and actions. Why? Because he had always been an observer. Nothing more—he simply enjoyed role-playing. Now that his role-playing had advanced, and these characters could appear alongside "Xu Xiaoshou," how could any flaws show?

Finally, after visualizing until he was utterly exhausted, Xu Xiaoshou collapsed heavily on the ground, panting heavily, his face wild with madness.

"Hua Hui Jing Tong is just too damn powerful."

"The day I, Xu Xiaoshou, emerge from seclusion, the world will tremble once more!"