Chapter 773: Painters Fear for the Integrity of Their Art!
Translator: Nyoi-30 Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
As long as Xu Xiaoshou combined his understanding of the Dao with his
Sovereign (Stage) ‘Painting Mastery , he could breathe life into his paintings
and grant them the ability to do combat.
More than that, Xu Xiaoshou’s paintings returned to the basics, the very
essence of what it is to paint.
the Innate (Stage) and Grandmaster (Stage), ‘Painting Mastery
grounded Xu Xiaoshou’s solid foundation in the art.
Brushstrokes, split mirror, colour painting, and so on.
The only reason Xu Xiaoshou’s chicken so ugly was that he had
sloppy, painting an outline in black and white without capturing the details.
If he were to fcxus on the details, he would have given the chicken a glossy coat
of feathers, a majestic crest and perfectly manicured talons.
“But there’s no need…”
Xu Xiaoshou knew this.
The more fleshed out the chicken was, the stronger it would or at least that
was what one would think
On the contrary, the chicken’s fighting strength depended solely on ‘Painting
Mastery and his cultivation level.
It was a crucial discovery.
“What if I don’t want this chicken to fight but have it as a paper tiger to fcx?l my
enemies?”
Xu Xiaoshou’s mind whirled into action, processing various scenarios and
minute possibilities, going so far as to simulate situations no one else would
dare consider.
Some might have thought he was overthinking the situation, but he was not.
One could never have too many trump cards. Looking at the chicken, he
paused.
The black-and-white chicken that had through the void was happily
clucking away.
Having completed its master’s order, it wandered around Yuan Mansion,
causing Xu Xiaoji to click his tongue in wonder.
Suddenly, the void roiled, and the Dao rippled. lhe commotion created by the
Great Demon King Xu attracted his attention.
Xu Xiaoji looked over, his gaze settling on the ghost beast, the black and white
chicken that had appeared out of thin air. The funny face he wore melted into
astonishment, eventually tx?coming shocked.
The shock was so great that he could not conceal it.
‘This, this is…” Xu Xiaoji stuttered.
He stared wide eyed at the human elders’ bodies slowly solidifying beside
Young Master Xu. They strangely familiar, but he could not put his
finger on uho they were.
That changed their solidified. It was as if a divine brush was
giving souls to the frames of these elders. Draped over the shoulders of a
particular elder was a large red coat.
Xu Xiaoji was stunned , fear nearly incapacitating him completely.
“A Red Coat… the Night Guardian?”
Xu Xiaoji’s lips formed an ‘O’ shalR. How could he not Imow the Night
Guardian?
The Night Guardian had been the IRrson standing in the sky above the trade
fair.
The only difference was his lack of chanting. Nevertheless, the Night Guardian
was someone he would not forget. How could he when that venerable Elders
attention had been trained on him for the longest time?
Why hadn’t he been informed if the Night Guardian had been locked up in Yuan
Mansion?
Wasn’t the Night Guardian at the Cutting Path (Stage)?
How did Demon King Xu, someone had not made a breakthrough, catch
the Night Guardian who was already at the Cutting Path (Stage)?
Yet, Xu Xiaoji felt something was wrong. He was familiar with the Night
Guardian.
Why was it that the Night Guardian summoned by Young Master Xu did not
seem to possess a strong aura?
“What do you think?” Xu Xiaoshou finished painting the Night Guardian’s
figure with his mind and wanted Xu XiaoJi’s opinion.
“He… isn’t a real person, is he?” Xu Xiaoji squeaked fearfully.
‘Of course he isn’t,” Xu Xiaoshou affirmed. “It’s something I visualized. How
does it compare with the real
Xu Xiaoji’s lips twitchd
What did Xu Xiaoshou mean when he said he visualized it?
Could the Great Demon King Xu have the ability to create Cutting Path (Stage)
experts out of thin air?
Only a god could create such a miracle!
The painted version of the Night Guardian landed on the ground , unmoving.
Emboldened , Xu Xiaoji went up to the replica and probed it with his senses.
“l can feel the vitality in the flesh and the spiritual signature of the Night
Guardian.”
He hesitated and said, “But it dcRsn’t have the aura of an expert at the Cutting
Path (Stage). It’s almost like a dummy…”
“He is a dummy, ” Xu Xiaoshou laughed in response.
He gave his imaginary Night Guardian a once over, and his expression diplRd.
There was none of the arrogance or the lofty bearing of a Red Coat in his
creation.
No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than a change seemed to crcur.
“Boom!”
The loud crash of thunder rang in the air.
An overbearing aura exploded in Yuan Mansion, overturning the Thirty
Thousand Alchemy Cauldron.
Xu Xiaoshou was stunned, speechless.
Was this the finishing touch?
After he recovered from the shock, Xu Xiaoshou realized that he had almost
emptied his spiritual source and mental strength by giving this phoney Night
Guardian the strength of someone at the Cutting Path (Stage).
Fortunately, his cultivation level had broken through to Master (Stage), and all
of his attributes had reached the Sovereign (Stage).
Still, Xu Xiaoshou swayed on his feet, his vision going black. However, thanks
to his speedy ability to recover , he avoided fainting due to weakness.
“How is it?” He asked Xu Xiaoji again, his pale face full of anticipation.
Xu Xiaoji was so overwhelmed by the familiar aura that he dared not raise his
head.
It was t(X) terrifying.
The Great Demon King Xu had not even moved!
There could be no mistake; the Night Guardian he had snuck a glance at just
now carried a hint of spirituality in his
The aura of someone at the Cutting Path (Stage) in the next second,
and it felt as if the creation had gained a life of its own…
Xu Xiaoji exclaimed, “It’s so lifelike, it’s almost real… Wait. There’s another
flaw. Is he unable to move or talk?”
Xu Xiaoshou fell into deep thought when he heard Xu Xiaoji’s assesment.
He painted this replica of the Night Guardian, and he was the painting’s
master.
They shared an incomparably close connection, more so than the real
individual and himself.
Unbidden, a thought came to mind that caused the dummy Night Guardian to
tremble. It tilted its head to one side, glaring at Xu Xiaoji as it barked in a stern
voice, “A grain of rice shines as bright as a
Xu Xiaoji nearly jumped out of his skin. frightened was he that he crumpled
to the ground in a heap of messy limbs.
The phoney Night Guardian’s aura flared again. There was no doubt it
m)ssessed the unique strength of someone at the Cutting Path (Stage).
The replica’s shout nearly his soul, and that made it all the more
terrifying since he knew the Night Guardian in Yuan Mansion was a fake.
“Lord Shou, this, this, this.?”
“What’s wrong? Have you noticed any other flaws?” Xu Xiaoshou on
his feet excitedly.
With his passive skill, ‘Swallow the Mountains and Rivers’ , Xu Xiaoshou had
plenty of energy he could spare, not to mention the impressive capabilities of
Transformation’. He had firsthand of the Night Guardian’s Cutting
Path (Stage) aura, so mimicking it was no trouble at all.
Even though he did not IX)ssess the strength of someone at the Cutting Path
(Stage) just yet, imitating it through his (Stage) ‘Painting Mastery
was not a problem.
A mortal painting could outline a golden spear, an iron horse, and the soul of a
general in all its humble splendour, so how could he not when he possessed
skills far greater than an ordinary A mere Cutting Path (Stage)’s aura
was nothing to him!
Xu Xiaoji scrambled to his feet and circled the imitation of the Night Guardian.
Clicking his tongue in surprise, he said, “Is this really the Night Guardian?” He
took a moment to as-sess the figure in its entirety. “It may possess the same
aura as the real thing, but its movements are too stiff. It closer to a
puppet than anything else… Still, Lord Shou is amazing! This ‘visualization’
method of yours is truly impressive. How did you do it?”
Xu Xiaoshou brushed aside Xu Xiaoji’s flattering words.
He wanted to create something he could use in combat, not praise for a work of
art. It was not as if his enemies would submit out of respect for the sheer
beauty of his creations!
‘The movements are stiff, like that of a puppet…” Xu Xiaoshou muttered
It made him think of his other skill: ‘Weaving Expertise’.
Without ‘Weaving Expertise’, he would not have been able to multitask as much
as he presently could. Albeit, he did not have much use for it at the moment. He
did not need to use it regularly, and controlling a plain chicken could hardly
demand more than a tiny portion of his attention.
Now, controlling this fake Night Guardian, on the other hand, was a very
different matter indeed.
Humans and puppets were not the same.
As his thoughts arrived at this juncture , Xu Xiaoshou split his spiritual sense
into two. Half of it merged with the replica, while the other remained a part of
him.
“Hey!”
The leader of the Red Coats waved his sleeves, and his gaze turned cautious,
the muscles over his cheekbones pulling taut.
Flying up into the sky, the Night Guardian raised his hands overhead, shouting
angrily, “Great Dark Sky!”
His aura surged, and waves of spiritual energy washed over the area like a
tsunami.
Xu Xiaoji was caught flatfooted by this sudden development. ‘Ihe Night
Guardian had transformed from a lifelike puplkt into a of immeasurable
might! It was a demonstration of B)wer. he gawked
dazedly at the Great Demon King Xu.
It was then that he realized what had sparked the change. Xu Xiashou
controlled the Night Guardian’s imitation while lcx?king at him with a smile. He
apikared unphased by his act of multitasking.
Is it He asked.
The sound was not caused by the chicken, but rather it was the
chattering of Xu Xiaoji’s teeth.
It was over.
Xu Xiaoji could already imagine the reign of terror the Great Demon King
would bring once he returned to the outside world.
It was the ability to frame someone!
As the saying gck-s: Strange powers exist that may confound even god.
The Great Demon King Xu’s new ability did not just confer the B)wer of a
it would bring unmitigated disaster to all comers of the world!
Masking his fear a veneer of nitpicking, Xu Xiaoji said, “Your creation
has the aura and the spiritual signature right, but it doesn’t B)ssess the combat
techniques of the original.
Xu Xiaoji’s words were at the fake Night Guardian’s technique, ‘Great
Dark Sky. It was, in all likelihcxxl, a spiritual combat technique.
Apart from the gale it produced, all other manifestations of the technique were
illusory and no physical B)wer them.
Who knew that Xu Xiaoshou had already expected this. The comers of his lips
into a devious smile. There’s no rush; this is just a test run.”
Three breaths later?.
Xu Xiaoji watched as the Night Guardian descended, abruptly shrouding the
entirety of Yuan Mansion in heavy darkness. ‘mere were no faults he could see.
“Feared, Passive Points + 1.”
Anyone could splash ink on a scroll and say they had created an ‘ink painting’.
It did not even require a technique!
Emotions ran wild in Xu Xiaoshou. only thing that disappointed him was
his inability to replicate the Night Guardian’s ability to shield the six senses
with his technique.
His Night Curtain was just that; a curtain. ‘mere was nothing special atx?ut it.
At this moment, a thought struck him. What if he his creation in the
Void Painting Scroll? Could he store spiritual techniques or physical objects
and use them when needed?
Xu Xiaoshou fell into deep thought.
There was a possibility, but it would not easy to execute. Such an action
would certain accomplishments in the Dao of array formation, a
discipline not under the purview of his pas.sive skill, ‘Painting Mastery’.
He could visualize a dummy and the of a fake spiritual technique, but he
could not pull a spiritual out of thin air. Even how a spiritual
technique would react in storage was up for debate.
That was something touching on the aslk?cts of the divine!
Then again, it wouldn’t hurt to try, would it? He could paint a few special
effects of reputed spiritual techniques and store them in the scroll. ‘Ihat was a
start, wasn’t it?
His thoughts turned to Xu Xiaoji.
Not long after, a huge Golden Buddha appeared behind him
The enormous Buddha was more than 300 feet tall and touched the sky. It had
angry eyes , a bushy lh?ard, thick eyebrows , and a mountainous sword in its
As the sword hurtled downwards, even time seemed to slow to a crawl.
Xu Xiaoji stcn-ld rooted to the sm)t, paralyzed by an ovenvhelming sense of fear.
It was not until the sword passed through his body but did no harm that he
realized it was a conjuratiom
It was also a result of the Great Demon King Xu’s Visualization’.
“Visualization…”
“W’hat kind of spiritual technique is it?”
“W’hat did the Great Demon King Xu figure out?”
“W’hy does his breakthrough to the Master (Stage) feel so different from
everyone else’s
Xu Xiaoji screamed incoherently in the depths of his heart.
It felt like he was going crazy.
This Great Demon King Xu was already a nightmare.
With truth and mixed seamlessly, how would anyone be his match in
the future? Would they be taken out by some means if they believed this great
Buddha’s chop was real?
Ihath was a very real IX)ssibility if they could not distinguish illusion from
reality.
“Crazy, crazy, this world is crazy!”
Xu Xiaoji hugged himself , warding off the deathly chill that ran down his spine.
He was rcxking back and forth on the ground, planning his future, preferably
somewhere far, far away from this demon overlord.
When he caught sight of the Great Demon King still lost in thought, he nearly
screamed! Was he planning to seal all routes by improving his
technique further? Vicious! Utterly vicious!
Although ‘visualization’ consumed a lot of energy, it was but a drop in the
txean for Xu Xiaoshou, who could return to peak performance at the drop of a
hat.
Xu Xiaoji believed this was part of Xu Xiaoshou’s deception to mislead and
cloud his enemies’ judgment.
The Great Demon King Xu would rest for a short while after materializing
another lifelike person. ‘Ihe Night Guardian was far from his only goal.
Soon, fakes of Elder Sang, the Storyteller, Bazhun’an, Gou Wuyue, and even Ai
Cangsheng came into existence.
These individuals were all the result of ?visualization’!
Xu Xiaoji had not seen most of them before. One or two of them seemed
familiar, though it must have sometime before he entered Yuan Mansion
and fell into the clutches of the Ihvil incarnate.
Each person’s idiosyncrasies: their movements, speech patterns and weapons
were reproduced faithfully. Battle he would never have dreamed of crcurred in
front of him.
Xu Xiaoji’s worldview shattered into and the shard the
fragmented world’s grounds.
Bazhun’an’s imitation held his sword and charged forward, shouting crazily,
sky’ rests above, and l, Bazhun’an, stand atop it. Who dares challenge me
for the Qingju (Sword)? W’ho dares to fight me to the death?”
Gou Wuyue’s imitation pulled out the famed sword, the Voice of Nulan. “l will
fight you. Sword, come!”
The imitation of Elder Sang sneered, “You can’t even take a punch from my
handsome disciple, and you dare to fight him? Taste the power of my palm…
Hali!”
Ai Cangsheng: “Damn it, my Evil Sin Bow, my Eyes of the Great Path… Gcxi, I’m
willing to give up everything in exchange for the power to heal my lower txxiy.”
Rao Yaoyao: “Heh, half-paralyzed man, wait for your death on the Sacred
Mountain!”
Storyteller: “Brother- Brother!”
Bazhun’an: “Damn, sissy! (kit lost!”
After which, Storyteller was bifurcated neatly in two.
Xu Xiaoji was stunned.
He stared blankly at this world-shaking battle.
If this scene had occurred in the outside world, the clashing forces would have
been enough to fill the sea and create new lands.
Xu Xiaoji turned his head away, not daring to watch the fight tktween
‘me words that were sB)ken by those venerated added
to his shcRk.
“S-so, this is the Great Demon King Xu’s inner world?”
It’s over; the Shengshen continent is finished! ?
“Seniors, your reputations will tarnished for the rest of your lives! ”
On the other
Xu Xiaoshou was not just ming around.
While this world-shaking battle tcxjk place, he was busy painting
B)rtraits of anyone he had seen in the past.
He discovered that they could last indefinitely as long as he supplied these
‘visualized’ replicas with spiritual energy.
The techniques they could also ‘materialized’ at the cost of their
spiritual source and mental strength.
However, the energy each required was very small. Yet, the phenomena they
could was magnified exponentially.
It all depended on the artist’s imagination.
For Xu Xiaoshou, who had ‘Weaving Expertise’ and an unlimited spiritual
source, the spiritual energy needed to create a replica was negligible.
As long as he a few attributes and gave his creations spirit- gathering
arrays while he them, he would not even need to expend much
of his spiritual source to flesh out the details of the characters he painted.
It would increase his ‘visualized’ creations’ chances of survival several times.
Since this world had no concept of ‘copyright’ (or at least Xiaoshou thought
so), he could paint more who would make waves in the world as he
gained proficiency in Visualizing’.
‘Perception’ gave Xu Xiaoshou an impeccable memory.
He could even copy every person’s subtle expressions and actions.
He had often observed the and objects around him as a dutiful
wallflower, staying in the background and doing nothing else; acting was his
only recourse to drive away his loneliness.
Now that the stage was his, how could he let go of this opportunity to perform
with his co-stars? Everything had to be perfect.
In the end, he ‘visualized’ so many things to the moint of exhaustion. Sprawled
on the ground with his breaths billowing like a forge, Xu Xiaoshou smiled, a
manic glint in his eyes.
“He is insane!”
“On the day that he brings me, Xu Xiaoji, out of seclusion, this world will
tremble!”