I Am Loaded with Passive Skills-Chapter 3660 - 1782: Acknowledgment (Part 2)

At this point, Hua Changdeng showed no expression. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Xu Xiaoshou paused for a moment, deducing from the fluctuations of his soul’s intent that when Hua Changdeng’s intent was not yet fully formed previously, he was likely completely unaware when it was severed.

In other words...

A few days ago, when the Holy-level ghost first appeared in the Ghost Buddha Realm, Hua Changdeng’s infiltration into the realm was far from sufficient.

But in just a few days, he progressed from "unawakened will" to "will emerging frequently" to now being able to bring about the extraordinary "Fengdu Phenomenon" upon his appearance.

The speed of this strengthening is exceptionally fast.

This suggests that true descent is not far off.

However, what Xu Xiaoshou was concerned about was not the "duration," but the "number" when the time comes, so he promptly asked:

"On this journey to the lower realm, did they send you as the pioneer to pave the way, or will you all take the stage together when the time comes?"

What did that mean?

Hua Changdeng had not yet responded.

Among the five million spectators in Hongniang and Golden Apricot, they collectively felt a chill in their hearts:

"Is it not just Sword Deity Hua?"

"From what Lord Shou implies, are the Holy Emperor and Ancestral God above the Stairway to Heaven also set to appear together?"

"Didn’t Sleeveless Saint Servant say it would be a year, so how come it’s breaking in half a year? It’s simply unguaranteable!"

"That’s not possible; even the Five Domains struggled with the battle of Xu Ai, how can the Shengshen Continent endure their forthcoming destruction?"

"The sky, it’s about to fall..."

Hua Changdeng, however, showed no waver.

His gaze shifted from the stele of the Central Yuan world, to the distant place where the sword cognition radiated, and finally to the Ghost Buddha in the north, and he softly replied:

"One person is enough."

Arrogant!

The arrogance of the ancient swordsman is indeed cultivated deeply within the bones of all sword-bearers.

When Hua Changdeng uttered this statement, his gaze did not even land on Xu Xiaoshou, as if the life and death of the people in the Five Domains were all within his grasp.

Xu Xiaoshou couldn’t help but smile.

The stone sword hung at his waist, which was previously held by Black Chicken in its beak, trembled with a buzzing as if it were awakened and was about to burst out of its stone sheath.

"There’s no need for that..."

Xu Xiaoshou patted the sword with a laugh, indicating it to be calm.

Lastly, he extended his index finger, lightly wagging it at Hua Changdeng, teasingly saying:

"It’s not enough."

—Even more arrogant!

The image in Golden Apricot erupted into a frenzy of discussion.

Hua Changdeng raised his eyebrows, an unexpected expression crossing his face.

In his eyes, there was no one named either "Xiao Shi Tan Ji" or "Xu Xiaoshou"...it wasn’t important, he was too lazy to correct the name.

What he cared about had always been that old enemy where the sword cognition was diffused in the distance, yet the arrogance and defiance of the young man before him surpassed even that of Bazhun’an in the past.

"Hehe..."

Hua Changdeng chuckled softly, his eyes showing a hint of reminiscence.

Just as Xu Xiaoshou had no desire to draw his sword, neither did he pull out the illusory, broken sword tied at his back.

He merely slowly raised the lamp in his hand, giving it a gentle shake.

"Sizzle—"

The remnant lamp’s flame flickered.

From within came the endless wails of ghosts.

Hua Changdeng looked back at the young man, pursing his lips as he said, "You claimed to have severed a strand of my intent earlier, so it seems this time you seek me out not merely to resolve your inner confusion."

As these words were spoken, in the distance, Hongniang’s face lost color.

As if seeing images of imminent battle, she recoiled step by step on the ground, like a human maggot.

Xu Xiaoshou grinned broadly, revealing a mouthful of gleaming teeth, bright and genial: "What do you think? Old Deng!"

Chi chi chi...

As soon as the words fell, the earth began to decay once more.

From the bubbling swamp, it seemed as if ghosts attempted to crawl out again, but this time even ghost hands and bone claws didn’t breach the surface.

All things and beings, turning to green smoke, gathered into the lamp flame in Hua Changdeng’s hand.

"Aura of the God of Death!"

This time, everyone understood.

The green smoke, it wasn’t the residual power left by fierce ghosts after death.

Even the appearances of the swamp and ghosts were merely secondary; the root of all these anomalies lay in the gathering of the Aura of the God of Death!

Summoned and amassed from heaven and earth, from the Great Path, from the life and death transformation of all beings, all due to Hua Changdeng’s change of thought!

"So powerful..."

"How can just a Holy Emperor’s thought be this strong..."

Hongniang’s heart was filled with fear.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t seen strong individuals using the power of the ancestral source.

Lord Cang Sheng had used the power of the evil god, something most Five Domains Spiritual Cultivators had witnessed, and they knew he used ancestral source power he’d nurtured over decades.

But Hua Changdeng’s use of the ancestral source power was completely opposite in approach.

He is astonishingly powerful, with merely the Aura of the God of Death, he can manifest the phenomena of the Phantom City into reality.

His power does not originate from within, but from everything external.

He sits as if fishing by the earth, the power of the ancestral source emerges from nowhere, converging in the lamp, commanding with authority.

"Sizzle!"

The copper lamp’s flame blazed brightly.

Space around Sword Deity Hua surged, yet remained unshattered.

Such energy level of the Aura of the God of Death gathered, controlled within such an ordinary remnants of a lamp, he surprisingly maintains the fragile balance of space around him.

"Holy Emperor..."

"Indeed, Sword Deity Hua is still a Holy Emperor..."

At this moment, the Five Domains Spectator suddenly awoke.

For half a year, under the Guidance of Lord Shou’s Will Dao Disc, the Spiritual Cultivator world generally understood the concept of "Tenth Level Holy Emperor":

Only a High Realm Holy Emperor can give birth to the power of the ancestral source.

The others, whether demi-saint, or lower realm Holy Emperor, or the extremely talented... may also grasp the power of the ancestral source through certain means, but that is merely "borrowing."

Borrowing, utilizing.

A single word changes the meaning significantly.

"Little fellow..."

This night is long, the Sword Immortal holds the lamp.

Sword Deity Hua gazed firmly at the young man before him.

He never felt the urge to bully the weak, but within the ancient swordsman’s legacy, there are no words for "refusing battle."

Even if it’s the weak challenging the strong.

The opponent wishes to prove the Way with death, seeking Enlightenment.

Though it’s regrettable, when it comes to battle, ancient swordsmen always fulfill!

Therefore at Gui Zhe Ruins, under the Ghost Buddha, Sword Deity Hua agreed to face the battle intent of Kui Lei Han’s son, granting him a sword strike.

That strike, cutting across realms, allowed Kui Lei Han to rescue his son from afar.

And now with a similar strike, he can also grant it to the ignorant little imp in front of him, yet one wonders if this child has a fortuitous star in his fate...

Or perhaps.

His life and death, could it attract a glance from Bazhun’an?

Thinking to this point, Sword Deity Hua raised the lamp high, imposing momentum, about to speak...

"One strike!"

The young man opposite spoke first.

He spoke lightly, as if bestowing a gift from a superior to a subordinate.

This single sentence, stuck the identical two words in Sword Deity Hua’s throat, his face revealing an incredulous look.

Hong Mei was confused.

The millions of spectators in Golden Apricot were stunned.

Everyone clearly heard the two words "one strike," but no one knew what Lord Shou intended with this statement.

And in front of the only Holy Emperor among the previous generation of Seven Sword Deities, the present number one Sword Immortal Lord Shou walked in slowly, clearly his speech wasn’t finished:

"That time before, count it as my covert attack, winning without skill."

"This led to you, Lao Deng, not even knowing you’d been struck by me once, nor recognizing how strong I am."

What?

When the last half-sentence was uttered, Sword Deity Hua thought he misheard.

But it was definitely not auditory hallucination, nor Illusion Sword, because that boastful little imp was still speaking profusely:

"You and I know the sword, or it could be said, both began under the guidance of Master Siren."

"You preceded me in sword practice by more than thirty years, now you have reached the Holy Emperor State, I may be a bit slower, but I’m winning because you are merely a wisp of will, whereas I am the true self."

"From another perspective, this battle is indeed fair."

Fair?

Is this called fair?

Not only were the millions of spectators in Golden Apricot confused, but Sword Deity Hua seemed dazed too, wasn’t it he who was bullying the small?

But this lord...

This "Lord Shou" truly doesn’t think this way, saying:

"Never mind, it isn’t actually fair, I also have the advantage of the terrain."

From deep within, he genuinely felt he, the "small", was bullying the "large", while saying this, he reached for the stone sword on his waist, slowly raising it:

"But I will not bully you."

"This sword remains sheathed, sealed beneath the stone, during the duel, it absolutely will not unsheath, if you can withstand my one strike..."

Ha!

Sword Deity Hua exhaled a long breath, amused.

In the Land of Screen and Candles for thirty years, named emperor among the Stairway to Heaven, he found himself out of step with the times, are today’s young people this interesting?

This "one strike", does it really mean for him to withstand one strike? Then... Sword Deity Hua, full of interest:

"If I do withstand it?"

Xu Xiaoshou then nodded slightly, like an old-schooled elder, holding the plain stone sword horizontally before his chest, speaking calmly:

"If you withstand it, the title of ’Ghost Sword Immortal’ you bear, I shall acknowledge it."