Chapter 2060: Double Attack

"Double soul-snatching?"

Dao Qiongcang's face showed shock, not expecting Xu Xiaoshou to be so resolute. The essence of soul-snatching is a do-or-die battle: succeed and take all, fail and lose everything. After all, once the technique is cast, one sacrifices oneself in advance. If the Dao cannot be seized, there is only death.

Currently, Shennong Baicao, including Bei Huai, already harbored two wills within. As the Blood Fiend's power from the River of Reincarnation surged, it became clear that Sheng Xin had set sights on the "cakes" of Life and Reincarnation, aiming to seize them and turn them into his own. Xu Xiaoshou also intervened; he had no choice, as the Medicine Ancestor was completely defenseless, and merely observing would allow Sheng Xin to succeed. The situation instantly grew tense.

"One body, four wills?" "This is far too chaotic..." How could Shennong Baicao withstand such torment? Among the four, he was currently in the worst state, practically a second Soulless. The Daos of Life and Reincarnation were not merely likely to change hands; it was almost inevitable. Whose hands would be safest for them to fall into? Bei Huai's? Just a second Medicine Ancestor! Sheng Xin's? Xu Xiaoshou couldn't possibly let Sheng Xin succeed! Then, Xu Xiaoshou's?

"Xu Xiaoshou still has trump cards; he wouldn't be so desperate as to directly use soul-snatching. Most likely, the one sacrificed this time is still the pitiable Jin Ren." "Jin Ren's power is too weak; it can be detected with a touch. Sheng Xin would never yield; he'd fight to the end, even to the death." "This means it will lead to a lose-lose situation... or a scenario where no one can focus on anything else." From Zero, Dao Qiongcang instantly assessed the situation and recognized the most opportune moment for himself: "My Xu needs me!"

The Daos of Life and Reincarnation could not be safely entrusted to anyone else. Their perfect destination was to combine with the Dao of Memory, forming a complete entity of "I," "evidence," and "other," creating a perfect cycle. Afterward, if Xu Xiaoshou wanted them, they would be shared. If not, Dao Qiongcang would take them without hesitation, as he had also contributed significantly to this divine battle. Thus, the Divine Court's black Memory Mark quietly expanded, covering the entire Apricot Realm, protecting Xu Xiaoshou's 'backyard.' Driven by the desire to help "his Xu," Dao Qiongcang "braved it" to insert himself into this chaotic situation.

"With four people already playing, what's one more?" "As the old saying goes, the more, the merrier." "Xu Xiaoshou..." Meanwhile, as Sheng Xin's soul-snatching entered Shennong Baicao's body, he ceased concealing himself and unleashed his full power. However, a quick scan showed Xu Xiaoshou right behind him, also casting a soul-snatching technique—a truly despairing sight.

"You really deserve to die!" Was he like a persistent plaster? How could he not be shaken off? Sheng Xin's current move was so deeply hidden, using not his own technique but a Soulless one, and his target wasn't Xu Xiaoshou but Shennong Baicao. How could this fellow react so quickly and keep pace with him? And what's more! This soul-snatching technique had clearly been forcefully seized from the Soulless Dao by Sheng Xin himself. Even if Xu Xiaoshou obtained the Origin Stele: Soulless Character and could decipher its Dao secrets, he shouldn't be able to use soul-snatching. How could he cast it? Could it be that he could revive Soulless through the Soulless Character? And once Soulless awoke, could he still remember the techniques that had clearly been fully taken from him during his life, and then teach them to Xu Xiaoshou in time? And Xu Xiaoshou could master them instantly? Absurd! This convoluted process was too complex; even imagining it with one's toes suggested it couldn't be this development. Yet, no matter how absurd or incomprehensible, Xu Xiaoshou had indeed acted, and reality was playing out exactly this way. This proved that his plan had been completely anticipated by Xu Xiaoshou.

"Want to be a parasite?" Sheng Xin turned back with a sneer, "You'll need the ability to cling on first!" After all, he was a mere instant ahead of Xu Xiaoshou, and sometimes success or failure depended on such tiny margins. "Blood Fiend Cage!" Having already entered Shennong Baicao, Sheng Xin then, using Shennong Baicao's spiritual essence as a foundation, sealed the body both internally and externally, like a cosmic barrier, preventing anyone from entering or exiting. At that moment, the crimson River of Reincarnation arched its ends, connecting to form a loop, creating its own distinct realm where all other Daos were blocked. The first soul-snatching had successfully breached the Medicine Ancestor's defenses. However, the second soul-snatching, attempting to enter, collided with a tangible barrier.

"Boom!" With an explosive sound, the surging soul-snatching power slammed against the Blood Fiend Cage, unable to break through immediately. Furthermore, affected by the Blood Fiend's Reverse Fate Art, as soon as the two sides made contact, the latter's power rapidly faltered, clearly unable to hold out much longer. "Want to come in?" Sheng Xin sneered, "Dream on!" "Soulless!" Severing the space with a Venerable Extreme Slash, Xu Xiaoshou immediately turned to look at the Soulless Baby. Jin Ren was in danger!

The power of the Blood Fiend's Reverse Fate Art was too bizarre. One either had to brutally force a breakthrough with a passive punch or hang back far away to avoid contamination upon approach. With Sheng Xin's move, even if Jin Ren were delayed for ten breaths, he would suffer severe injuries and his state would plummet. Moreover... Xu Xiaoshou knew his own situation. He knew that Jin Ren was a good spirit who wanted to help his master from the moment he was born, unlike his own malevolent true self, and did not possess a passive punch. It had to be broken! He needed to use Soulless's cunning arts now! "Is there a counter-measure?"

Soulless heard this and scoffed. He utterly disregarded the Blood Fiend Cage, a crude method of isolating internal and external Daos. It was just that Sheng Xin, in seizing the Dao, hadn't had time to take his Divine Concealment and Return to Emptiness. Otherwise, after entering Shennong Baicao's body, he would have simply sent the River of Life into the empty Divine Court of the past Art Ancestor. Even if Xu Xiaoshou split into a thousand parts, he would only fret, frantically searching outside because he couldn't find the entrance. By the time Sheng Xin had fully entered Shennong Baicao and returned, he would have successfully acquired all the essence of the Daos of Life and Reincarnation. As for Xu Xiaoshou? He would simply be waiting for death! Unfortunately... Sheng Xin wasn't the Art Ancestor; he wasn't that clever. Seventy percent of the Art Dao was far inferior to Soulless's myriad transformations.

"Watch closely." The little baby stood with six hands on his hips, chin slightly raised. "Soulless will only demonstrate once!" As the Dao-seizing tentacle twisted, Xu Xiaoshou felt a surge of knowledge being generated in his mind, like a sudden enlightenment. It was unclear if this was Soulless's past technique or something instantly conceived at that moment. In any case, it perfectly matched the current situation! Jin Ren had already completely sacrificed himself into energy and could not cast spells. Maintaining his vanishing art, Xu Xiaoshou directly flashed into the battlefield, carrying the Soulless Baby on his shoulder, and formed the Soulless hand seals: "Forbidden · Parting Mane and Clearing Path!"

"Look, it's changing!" In the Apricot Realm's preaching sky-screen, the crimson circular River of Reincarnation suddenly transformed. Before, it was like a donut coated in breadcrumbs, covered in long red fur—this was the Blood Fiend Cage's power, fully isolating inside from outside. Now, although the Blood Fiend Cage's power remained, it was as if a still wild horse suddenly galloped, its long red fur parting and scattering to both sides. What was exposed in the middle was a smooth, furless passage wide enough for someone to enter.

"What?" Sheng Xin was greatly alarmed. He hadn't expected that he had just cast the spell, thinking it would hold for at least fifteen minutes, only for Xu Xiaoshou to already have a counter. Who had seized Soulless after all? How could the spell you cast be more like a Soulless Forbidden Art than mine? Looking from the inside out, the tangible membrane he had personally created was still there, blocking others from entering Shennong Baicao. Yet, at this moment, an invisible hand gently pushed it aside, creating a breakthrough point as thin as a cicada's wing, precisely where the poised Xu Xiaoshou was waiting.

"Jin Ren, now!" As soon as Xu Xiaoshou finished his move, he immediately withdrew from the Blood Fiend's Reverse Fate Art's range. Just being near it, he felt a sensation of accelerated aging and power depletion; he dared not imagine how terrible Shennong Baicao's state was after being invaded. "True Self, have you considered that someone is even worse off?" Jin Ren remained silent, simply charging forward, channeling the rage he dared not direct at a certain person entirely into the breakthrough point before him.

The colossal soul-snatching power, fueled by a full pool of life elixirs to counter the Blood Fiend's Reverse Fate Art's consumption, forcefully breached the Blood Fiend Cage with a single strike. Following Sheng Xin, it surged into Shennong Baicao's body. "Ah—" A desperate, uncontrolled scream echoed in all directions. The River of Reincarnation convulsed violently, and the Medicine Ancestor's brilliant life patterns involuntarily appeared. Upon them, two forces surged one after another: a sky-high crimson light, the power of the Blood Fiend, and a dark, ancient gray, the power of Boundless. Both advanced rapidly, almost instantly corrupting the entirety of the Medicine Ancestor's life patterns.

"No!" "Impossible—" Shennong Baicao collapsed on the spot. He had never experienced such a terrible ordeal, nor such despair. He was accustomed to controlling and manipulating others. Always, Shennong Baicao had been the supreme one, unshakeable. Even when previously seized by Soulless, he had managed, amidst all his vulnerabilities, to leverage various forces, mediate the situation, and ultimately turn the tide. But now, he was powerless to turn the tables! This feeling of being controlled by others... and at his weakest state, simultaneously subjugated by two individuals, how could it be anything but "madness"?

"Blood Fiend Dao Refining!" Sheng Xin seized the initiative, taking whatever he pleased. Not only did he use soul-snatching, but he also enhanced it with the Blood Fiend's Reverse Fate Art, doubling his plunder. Wherever he went, the Blood Fiend's power first destroyed the Medicine Ancestor's easily shattered defenses, then captured and devoured them. Regardless of whether he could digest it, it was a race against time. Since Xu Xiaoshou had also invaded, whoever seized more would gain a firmer foothold in this body.

"Even if you get in, you'll need to keep up with this Ancestor's speed!" Was Jin Ren's speed slow? No, not at all! Soul-snatching was originally the highest level of soul-seizing techniques. Previously, Soulless was too weakened to fully utilize it, allowing the Medicine Ancestor to break it down. This time, the true self had invested heavily, knowing the Blood Fiend's Reverse Fate Art was too strong. Like plucking feathers from an iron rooster, he pulled out a huge handful, allocating a full pool of boundless energy from the medicinal liquid. Although Jin Ren had sacrificed himself, the soul-snatching was exhilarating. Coupled with his innate advantage of understanding the Dao of Life and the art of weaving, his invasion of the life patterns was naturally more effective. Not to mention the guidance from Soulless, the pioneer who had invaded the Medicine Ancestor once before. It was essentially a matter of hitting where directed, first breaking through weak points, seizing what could be taken, and then contending with Sheng Xin for what couldn't. "Shennong Baicao is mine!" "This time, I, Jin Ren, will carve out a world with my own hands; Shennong Baicao will be my nourishment!"

Terrible! Too terrible! Shennong Baicao almost fainted. His physical body had been shattered by the Battle Ancestor. His residual spirit and will had been ground to near-nothingness by Hua Changdeng; at this point, he was like fish on a cutting board, at the mercy of others, able only to watch himself die. "Bei Huai!" The Medicine Ancestor shrieked hysterically, trying to grasp at a last straw. But Bei Huai remained unmoved, knowing the outcome was already sealed. Appearing now would only result in being torn to shreds by the two forces, leading to death. All he could do was wait for Sheng Xin and Xu Xiaoshou to completely tear apart Shennong Baicao's residual spirit and will, then instantly escape, catching them off guard. This way, there might be a sliver of hope. If possible, he might even get a sip of Shennong Baicao's medicinal soup to nourish himself. Why would he offer assistance?

"Ahhhh—" Screams of agony echoed unendingly, saddening those who heard and bringing tears to those who saw. In the Apricot Realm's preaching screen, the brilliant life patterns in the distance were no longer imbued with the Medicine Ancestor's power, completely submerged by crimson and gray light. Shortly after, cracking sounds followed. It was the life patterns fracturing into pieces, which were then absorbed and plundered one by one by the crimson and gray light. "No—" I am an Ancestral God, the Origin-Zero Ancestral God! Possessing the twin rivers of the Dao of Life and Reincarnation, how could I meet such a fate? To be devoured piece by piece by two mad dogs, Sheng Xin and Xu Xiaoshou, right under the eyes of the world, utterly powerless to resist?

Shennong Baicao's residual spirit faded, and his remaining will gradually crumbled. He could do nothing! It was like sleep paralysis, and he had become the bed! Sheng Xin and Xu Xiaoshou were wildly tormenting him on the bed, while Bei Huai silently waited hidden beneath it, occasionally glancing up unconsciously... By the side of the bed, power fluctuations were abnormal, revealing yet another presence! He was crouched nearby, arms crossed, watching with cold indifference, just as he had watched Soulless seize him previously, and so it was now. Dao Qiongcang! This voyeur had also entered him! When a whale falls, all life thrives; did he also want a share of the essence of the dual Daos of Life and Reincarnation? Unwillingness! Humiliation! Helplessness! At this moment, Shennong Baicao truly resembled a condemned prisoner, tied by ropes and on the verge of being torn apart by five horses. He was pulled by various forces, suspended in mid-air, unable to leverage anything, only able to distinctly feel the pain in every part of his being intensifying little by little, his self gradually being ripped into pieces, disintegrating!

The devils feasted voraciously, still joyous in their bloodlust, their Dao-seizing power surging in waves, openly plundering without restraint. Was an Ancestor not a mere cauldron, to be reduced to this? A scholar could be killed, but not disgraced! Shennong Baicao could accept his failure and subsequent demise, but he could not accept this manner of death; it was no exaggeration to call it the most brutal torture in the Three Thousand Worlds! "Ancestor, not to be humiliated—" A heart-wrenching shriek echoed throughout the entire Sacred Divine Continent. The fragmented life patterns, completely stained by crimson and murky light, had their Life and Reincarnation power squeezed and exploded, yet through this, a faint connection, like a lotus root broken but its fibers still clinging, was forged. A magnificent force of death condensed, gathering and forming a phantom image of the Medicine Ancestor, a hundred zhang tall, upon the vast life patterns. It was clearly overdrawing his residual spirit and will, preparing for a final, desperate struggle with his back against the wall.

"Get away from this Ancestor!" The Medicine Ancestor's phantom figure raised its hands to the sky, visibly pushing back the crimson and murky light on the life patterns, giving him a moment to breathe. There was no escape. The Medicine Ancestor knew this well. So, utilizing this brief opening, all his power collapsed inward. He was actually planning a self-detonation of an Origin-Zero Ancestral God level, dragging the New Heavenly Realm along to be buried with him. "Let's die together!"

"Can he do it?" The observers in the Apricot Realm watched with anticipation. To imagine oneself as Shennong Baicao... no one dared, it was too explosive, too insane. Just watching caused a wrenching pain, let alone experiencing it firsthand. At the end of life, people instinctively sympathized with the weak. Yet, a pitiable person must have some detestable qualities. The outcome was already sealed, and there was no need to mention what others would do. At the very least, Sheng Xin alone would never allow Shennong Baicao to self-detonate so recklessly, letting the Daos of Life and Reincarnation he had almost grasped slip away. The Blood Fiend's power suddenly flared brightly. In an instant, its light suppressed the Medicine Ancestor's phantom's final brilliance, condensing into a sky-obscuring Blood Fiend's colossal hand in mid-air, pressing straight down.

"Kneel!" Simultaneously, boundless power surged forth, forming three enormous Sword Demon blades above the Medicine Ancestor's phantom, which were then consecrated into a Three Talents formation and plunged downwards with a crash. "Surrender!" The Demon Ancestor slapped his face, and the Sword Demon knocked on the door. This was the tacitly coordinated counterattack of Sheng Xin and Jin Ren. The Blood Fiend's colossal hand pressed down, immobilizing the Medicine Ancestor's phantom's self-detonation power. Furthermore, the three Sword Demon blades, imbued with the vast power of the life elixirs, directly impaled the Medicine Ancestor's phantom. Endless streams of light exploded in mid-air, scattering across the continent. The Medicine Ancestor's phantom ultimately failed to utter a sound, its eyes wide with near-ruptured fury, and it exploded into dust like fireworks, along with the life patterns.

"Woo—" The Great Dao wailed, signifying the fall of yet another Ancestor. However, life surged in the Five Domains and Four Seas, and all things revived under the nourishment of the scattered light. "The Medicine Ancestor has fallen..." The observers in the Apricot Realm widened their eyes, their emotions a mix of five flavors. By this point, everyone had grown accustomed to any development; it would not have been surprising no matter who fell on the field. But when the Medicine Ancestor Shennong Baicao, who had survived since ancient times and harbored countless profound schemes, truly met his end at this very moment, the strange feeling was inexpressible. "Consider it witnessing history."

An Ancestral God who dared to use Soulless to refine life seeds, elevating the Dao laws of the New Heavenly Realm; who dared to create a false Ghost Ancestor, deceiving the Ancestral Gods of the Five Domains, causing Hua Ancestor Hua Changdeng to fall immediately upon attaining the Dao; who dared to create the Dao of Ghost Beast Parasitism, pushing the extreme changes of Life and Reincarnation to their limits, and then successfully returning to zero—had he fallen? In the history of the Sacred Divine Continent, stars shone brightly. The Medicine Ancestor Shennong Baicao was absolutely one of the most brilliant among them. In the direction of his Great Dao, none could surpass him; even the Ten Venerable Seats' Bei Huai was suppressed. While he lived, no one could rise in the Daos of Life and Reincarnation. But on this day, everything came to an end. The Medicine Ancestor became a part of the past, having met an utterly brutal death before the eyes of the world. Returning to the present...

"It's not over yet!" "They're still fighting... no, they're dividing the spoils!" Everyone watched in horror as various forces intertwined and clashed in the void, resembling a chaotic scene of post-battle plunder. The sight was unbearable.