Chapter 888: I, however, have been waiting for a while...

"Soul Reading" seemed to offer an entire long life of the person being read. But in reality, the reading process was always just an instant. The risk of this Awakening Skill was too great!

The last time Xu Xiaoshou used "Soul Reading" on Yi, he had been afraid to face Bansheng directly during the process. So, he held back and didn't want to see the other's memories. In that split second, the entire Soul Reading was completed. However, because of his own intentions, he didn't immerse himself in Yi's soul at the time, and the images in his mind were just pitch black. This gave Xu Xiaoshou a new insight.

Perhaps Soul Reading, like Ganzhi, allowed for selective focus—enabling him to ignore content he didn't want to probe when choosing to examine certain aspects? For example, back then, by not wanting to see Yi's soul memories, Soul Reading had turned into a simple mental control technique?

Xu Xiaoshou had no other choice. Yi was about to self-destruct. But there were other things he needed to know; otherwise, the Imitator would be useless. So, he had to take the risk and try again!

As Yi's soul form swelled rapidly, Xu Xiaoshou immediately attempted to focus his release of Soul Reading, much like narrowing the range of Ganzhi, to avoid seeing the other's entire life as he had before, and instead cast the skill again.

The screen went black...

"I won't look!"

Sure enough, there were no soul memories—just darkness...

"Come out!"

With another thought, Xu Xiaoshou felt as if his soul was being pulled away, as though he were about to experience Yi's entire life. But he restrained that impulse.

"Waah"—

A baby's cry rang out, and he abruptly withdrew his mind.

"Skip!"

As expected, he skipped over the early experiences of Yi's life after birth...

It worked! This method actually worked! That meant, as long as Bansheng didn't suddenly appear and lock eyes with him, Xu Xiaoshou wouldn't have to face Bansheng directly!

Xu Xiaoshou vaguely remembered that when he had entered the Black Heart Mother Gu's soul before, he had indeed first encountered Bansheng Zangren. But at that time, Bansheng Zangren hadn't noticed his presence. Instead, it was only after making full contact with the Black Heart Mother Gu that the "Facing the Saint" sensation was triggered.

This was a crucially important detail! The first few times with Soul Reading, because he was unfamiliar with it, Xu Xiaoshou had been overly cautious, like seeing a snake in the cup. But now, after successfully trying to "not look" and "skip," he recalled it clearly. As long as he was careful and skipped over any parts where Yi might have even the slightest contact with Bansheng, the rest could be overlooked entirely. Even if he accidentally glimpsed Bansheng... it didn't matter, as long as their eyes didn't meet, the other wouldn't detect him.

Facing the Saint was a terrifying thing, but once the specific details and protective measures were in place, it seemed far less frightening.

Xu Xiaoshou experienced and skipped through it all along the way. He went through it quickly. He saw Yi obtaining the Imitator, joining the assassin sanctuary "San Zhu Xiang," encountering a frail old woman on her last legs, and finally being absorbed into the Yi Division...

Skip!

Skip!

Skip again!

Yi's soul memories were too fragmented. After being struck twice by "Huan Mie Yi Zhi," the remaining soul fragments were pitifully few. Plus, Xu Xiaoshou hadn't dared to look too closely... After Yi entered the Yi Division, there were too many variables—who knew if he might run into Dao Qiong Cang on the paths of Gui Zhe Sheng Mountain?

So, what Xu Xiaoshou saw of Yi's life was highly disjointed. He skipped frantically. After Yi joined the Yi Division, the screen turned black and white, and Xu Xiaoshou skipped a large section, then saw...

Yi had participated in the previous "Shi Zun Zuo"!

Skip!

Damn it, skip everything!

The previous Shi Zun Zuo was the peak of combat power on the Shengshen Dalu for thousands of years! Figures like Kui Lei Han, the Eighth Sword Immortal, and Dao Qiong Cang had all risen to full fame after that battle. Xu Xiaoshou didn't even dare to glance at it; he fast-forwarded directly to Yi accepting the mission in Dong Tian Wang City and appearing in the Yun Lun Mountains.

Rao Yao Yao!

The current highest authority in the Yun Lun Mountains for the Shengshen Hall was Rao Yao Yao. That meant, starting from this point, theoretically, Yi wouldn't come into contact with Bansheng. But there could still be unforeseen risks...

Xu Xiaoshou proceeded with caution, advancing the scenes bit by bit. He saw Yi confronting "Saint Slave Xu Xiaoshou" on the long street of Dong Tian Wang City, feeling how explosively frustrated Yi had been after being toyed with by a junior. He saw the Wang Cheng Trial in progress, with Rao Yao Yao, Ye Xiao, Yi, and Wang Da Chui discussing and speculating about the "Swallowing Birth Wood Body" and the "Ultimate Birth Demon Body" in the main realm of Yun Jing World. He saw Yi tracking Mu Zixi for half a day, finally seizing the opportunity, opening his domain, transforming into Xu Shao, then into Sang Lao, and using various deceptions to question her. He saw that critical "slam"...

The indifference of Wuji Laozu and Yi's all-out attack in his Taixu state nearly shattered Xu Xiaoshou's mentality. The immersive experience felt as if he had personally thrown his junior sister to her death—it was utterly horrifying.

After understanding the full sequence of events, Xu Xiaoshou's killing intent grew even more frenzied; he wished he could dismember Yi and Xuan Wuji a thousand times over.

But the scenes continued. Xu Xiaoshou saw Yi being cornered to death by Xu Xiaoshou, Lei Xi Er, and Xuan Wuji, struck by two "Huan Mie Yi Zhi," attempting to self-destruct, and experiencing all the sensations leading up to it!

In a flash of lightning, everything ended. Soul Reading had completed the fragmented life. But in reality, time had only advanced to the moment Yi tried to self-destruct and was restrained by Xu Xiaoshou.

In that instant! As Xu Xiaoshou finished Soul Reading, Yi's self-destruct state lingered in agony for half a breath before proceeding!

"Stop him!" Xu Xiaoshou roared fiercely. "He's not trying to self-destruct—he's trying to escape!"

Wuji Laozu was stunned. How could he escape? He also thought Yi wouldn't commit suicide, but with this flawless setup and Yi so weakened, how could he possibly get away?

Xu Xiaoshou never expected that Soul Reading, in its final moments, could have such an effect, revealing Yi's true intentions to him. But time was limited; he had no chance to explain further to Wuji Laozu.

"Up there!"

Xu Xiaoshou pointed to the sky. That was the direction Yi had targeted for escape in the last moments of Soul Reading. As long as they intercepted it, there shouldn't be any major issues...

But Wuji Laozu remained unmoved. Yi's illusory soul form swelled, swelled, and swelled again... until it reached its limit!

"Drip."

Suddenly, a faint sound echoed. Just as Xu Xiaoshou had glimpsed in Soul Reading, Yi didn't self-destruct. Instead, after his soul expanded to the extreme, he squeezed out the last drop of soul blood.

With that drop of soul blood appearing, Yi's state plummeted instantly. If he had been at full strength, he wouldn't have weakened so drastically from this. But now, his soul was already on the brink of extinction. Still, that final drop was forced out.

Yi didn't know how Xu Xiaoshou had learned of his plan. At this point, the pain from Soul Reading hadn't faded, and his condition was deteriorating rapidly after expelling the soul blood... He had no time to think. This was his last resort. No matter the situation, there was no turning back.

"Bi Hun Zhong!"

An ancient bell flashed from the soul blood and began to tremble violently. Xu Xiaoshou, having undergone Soul Reading, fully understood the sequence of events. All the treasures in Yi's soul space had been deliberately left open for him to take; Yi wanted to create the illusion that even the Bi Hun Zhong was lost. Yes, Xu Xiaoshou had seized everything in Yi's soul space, including many bell-shaped soul artifacts. But he had only glimpsed the Bi Hun Zhong once, and just as a shadow at that. With Yi present, he couldn't examine the plundered items closely and had to suppress them in his Yuanfu World.

But after Soul Reading, Xu Xiaoshou realized Yi had used various treasures to pave his final path, hiding the Bi Hun Zhong in the soul blood for this explosive last move.

"Boom—"

There was no more time. As soon as the Bi Hun Zhong was summoned, Yi activated the soul blood and detonated it on the spot. In his expectation, exploding a lost divine artifact like the Huiwen Bei would at least blast a hole in this space.

Yet, he had miscalculated. Wuji Laozu's hatred for Yi was far from superficial. When the second strongest Tianji Master on the continent truly wanted to ensure a Taixu had no chance of survival, every possible escape route would be blocked.

Amid the thunderous roar, the Bi Hun Zhong's explosion shattered this space directly. The blast even made the rules of the heavens and earth manifest. But! The Tianji patterns were also revealed. From the beginning, when Wuji Laozu had ignored Mu Zixi's life in his layout, he had woven a dense net of Tianji patterns hidden within the great dao of this space. The layers of protection... totaled exactly one hundred thousand!

Yi's Bi Hun Zhong explosion shattered seventy percent of the Tianji pattern net before its power finally dissipated into nothing.

"Failed..."

Yi's soul form was completely obliterated by the blast. His will lingered on a bronze ancient coin, gazing at the scene with endless despair. Even the Bi Hun Zhong hadn't broken through the Tianji seal to send any feedback to the outside?

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned. Before the airtight Tianji pattern net had appeared, he had suspected Wuji Laozu of slacking off, perhaps even trying to use Yi to trap him. But now... what a grudge! Why go to such extremes? Could this one hundred thousand layers of Tianji pattern net really have been set up in the short time during Yi's interrogation of Mu Zixi?

"He's still trying to escape!"

Xu Xiaoshou didn't dwell on it. He had seen that bronze ancient coin. Through Soul Reading, he knew Yi's plan was to use this extraordinary "Dun Shen Bi" to house his spiritual will, and after the Bi Hun Zhong blew a hole in the sky, preserve himself and flee through it.

But human plans are no match for heavenly calculations. The hole wasn't blown open. Yi still wanted to survive, leaving only one path...

"Space Fragmented Flow!"

Xu Xiaoshou looked at the massive black hole before him, realizing Yi could only traverse the Tianji seal by entering the Space Fragmented Flow and randomly arriving elsewhere on the continent. He immediately turned to Wuji Laozu.

Wuji Laozu... once again remained unmoved, just as he had when Xu Xiaoshou told him to defend the sky earlier.

Space Fragmented Flow? All of Yi's escape routes had already been anticipated by Wuji Laozu beforehand. If Xuan Wuji had decided to eliminate Yi tonight and the former Sheng Emperor managed to escape a Taixu through various means... then Xuan Wuji's name might as well be written backward. He could just end it all!

Whoosh—

As expected, when all paths were cut off, Yi had no choice but to use the "Dun Shen Bi" to try crossing the Space Fragmented Flow in search of a final glimmer of hope.

The Dun Shen Bi flew into the black hole and was about to vanish. Xu Xiaoshou wasn't as composed as Wuji Laozu; he rushed after it immediately. Yi couldn't escape. Tonight, he had to die here. This guy knew too much; if any intelligence got out, everything—from the Heaven's First Tower to Xu Shao—would be ruined!

Upon entering the black hole, Xu Xiaoshou stopped. In his memory, the Space Fragmented Flow was the most terrifying place in the world, impassable without reaching the Zhan Dao realm and unlivable without Taixu level. It was filled with rampant space blades and storms, a realm of disaster where even Zhan Dao or Taixu experts could perish if careless.

But now that he was inside, the situation was completely different from what he expected. Aside from the one hundred thousand layers of Tianji patterns still enveloping everything, there was nothing else unusual. Darkness... void... Where were the space blades? Where were the space storms? It was as if everything here had been barred by the Tianji patterns; aside from chaos, there was nothing.

However, space blades and storms were the fundamental rules of the Space Fragmented Flow, much like the great dao to the Shengshen Dalu. How could Tianji techniques be powerful enough to shield all the basic rules of the Space Fragmented Flow?

The only explanation was...

"This isn't the Space Fragmented Flow!"

The Dun Shen Bi hovered ahead, as if Yi was also stunned by the scene. Xu Xiaoshou lowered his head and stamped his foot. A solid sensation came from beneath—ground! Was this the earth of another space?

Why? Why had entering the black hole not led to the Space Fragmented Flow but simply to another space?

Xu Xiaoshou felt a surge of panic. This exceeded his understanding. He wondered if some great power had already detected the battle here and trapped them in advance.

His Ganzhi detected something odd, and Xu Xiaoshou suddenly looked up. The Dun Shen Bi also turned toward another direction.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap...

In the midst of chaos, faint sounds echoed from afar. Each one struck the soul like an endless echo, heart-wrenching.

Lei Xi Er appeared in a flash, also stunned by the scene. Wuji Laozu followed, his expression changing: "Where is this?"

Tap.

With the final sound, everyone turned to look. In the nearby darkness, a shadowy figure slowly took shape.

"All out?"

"I've been waiting for a while..."