Stop it, Taoist, Your Fight almost Ruins the DAO!

A real man should take on such formidable opponents of the highest purity.

If they don't answer properly, he's going to take them down!

"Heh, since we've already revealed this secret, naturally we're not afraid to tell you, Fellow Taoist."

"After all, we are not cultivating alone. The longer these two Dao Fruits are fused, the more we rely on the power of the Evil Spirit Dao Fruit. The deeper the usage, the more our memories become scrambled, transforming us into one entity, forever indistinguishable from one another."

"Therefore, it's better for us not to fight to mutual destruction. Even if we manage to slay you, Fellow Taoist, I and Blood Sinner would most likely no longer be able to recover. Why not join forces to break through the Taoist Emperor's Qinglian Sealing, go our separate ways, and never cross paths again? What do you think?"

"This…" Yi Chen frowned, suddenly raising his head to look at the two fused individuals and asked, "Let's set that aside for now. I have two questions I'd like to ask you."

"What exactly are the criteria for being considered a Superior Grade expert?"

"Fellow Taoist, with cultivation as profound as yours, surely you're an extraordinary figure. How can you not know this? Cultivation isn't like hosting a dinner party; everyone here has clawed their way out of blood-soaked battles. The rules are simple: one must fight. If a cultivator can defeat or even kill an ordinary Dao Fruit Ninth Layer master, they are deemed a Superior Grade expert."

"If they can't reach this level, they're just ordinary Dao Fruit practitioners. It's really that straightforward. Otherwise, why would everyone bother with duels? They could just display their Dao Fruits and compare them."

"Some cultivators are prodigies of heaven, cultivating two Dao Fruits or even three, but these Dao Fruits often conflict with one another. Instead of enhancing their power, they heavily weigh them down."

"There are others whose Dao Fruits neither fuse nor interfere with one another. Such cultivators might dazzle superficially, but in essence, they merely have a broader range of techniques. A Fifth-Layer Realm Dao Fruit combined with a Fourth-Layer Realm Dao Fruit can still be easily slain by an ordinary Ninth-Layer Dao Fruit wielder."

"Those kinds of cultivators would already be considered extremely talented and deeply rooted if they could merely hold their own briefly against a standard Dao Fruit Seventh Layer master."

"But cases like mine and Blood Sinner's are extreme exceptions. Without incredible fortune, there's no way we'd achieve this level."

A voice that alternated between male and female emerged once again. The Heavenly Ghost (Blood Sinner)'s fused form spoke patiently to Yi Chen, apparently eager to explain despite their confusion.

"Is that so? I see. I have one more question. Fellow Daoists, why is the Taoist Emperor revered as the strongest in the Cosmic Sea? What exactly is his Fusion Dao Fruit?"

Yi Chen lifted his gaze toward the skies, piercing through layers of obstruction, finally reaching the pinnacle, where the seal resided.

The vastness of the power within stunned him anew each time he glimpsed it.

"If it were any other question, we might not be able to answer, but as for the Taoist Emperor, we've heard Lord Bo Xun mention him before. It's said that the Taoist Emperor once possessed two Dao Fruits: the Yu Dao Fruit and the Cosmic Dao Fruit."

"When these two fused, they became the Cosmic Dao Fruit. Two Taboo Dao Fruits merged within a single body, forming one entity. Just imagine how terrifying such a person must be."

"Among the Superior Grade experts who stand at the pinnacle of the Cosmic Sea, there are seven towering figures above all. Even among these seven, the Taoist Emperor is universally acknowledged as number one."

"Because—Lord Bo Xun once said that the Cosmic Dao Fruit's power lies in 'Restart.' The ability to restore everything to its original state."

"Unless you can kill the Taoist Emperor instantly, he can activate the fusion of the Cosmic Dao Fruit to restore himself to his peak. That's the greatness of the Taoist Emperor. Killing him head-on is nearly impossible."

"Faced with such a formidable opponent, even Lord Bo Xun can only avoid direct confrontation. No one can match Lord Taoist Emperor in a prolonged battle!"

Recalling the Taoist Emperor's towering reputation, even the Heavenly Ghost (Blood Sinner)'s fused form couldn't help but show a trace of respect on their face.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoists, for enlightening me. It would be impolite not to reciprocate, so I've decided: I'll kill the two of you right now and experience firsthand how tough and unyielding an actual Superior Grade Dao Fruit master can be!"

"Gah! Shocking Pure Yang Yichengzi requests the guidance of my two Fellow Daoists!"

Yi Chen bowed his head solemnly, but as he lifted it, a mad grin had blossomed on his face!

He had only said he'd take them down if they answered poorly—he hadn't said he'd spare them if they answered well.

"I've long wanted to test my limits. This poor Taoist seeks only one thing: to kill you both—or to be killed by you!"

"Come now, Fellow Daoists! Kill me! This poor Daoist can take it!"

Ah, there is nothing as delightful as reaping without sowing!

And if I can harvest a large wave of Deep Red Points afterward, that would be perfection.

"Do you truly wish to fight us to the death, Fellow Taoist? Once this begins, the end won't be up to you!"

Seeing Yi Chen's increasingly deranged behavior, even the Heavenly Ghost and Blood Sinner felt their scalps tingle. So all that effort to explain earlier was completely wasted?

What kind of mad Taoist is this? Did some Dao Fruit scramble his brain?

Across the countless millennia of the Cosmic Sea, countless heroes have risen, with three thousand unorthodox Dao Fruits, eight hundred sinister paths, and all sorts of other abominable practices represented. While brain-scrambled Dao Fruit cultivators are rare, they certainly exist.

Yet in a universe so vast, you could search your entire life and never encounter one.

They hadn't expected to bump into one today.

"Roar, what feeble and powerless words."

"Do you wish to kill this poor Taoist? Then try it."

"But know this: you will be slaughtered by me!"

"In the most brutal manner possible!"

"Torn to shreds!"

As the word "shreds" was emphasized with chilling gravity, Yi Chen's figure soared into the sky once more!

Heavenly Winds howled in rage, and killing-intent-infused Gang Wind arose yet again over the high skies of the Ancient Star Realm.

Yi Chengzi, Yi Chengzi! Shocking Pure Yang Yichengzi raised his Holy Skill once more, eager to test the real worth of a Fusion Dao Fruit master!

"Gah!"

"Even if the two of you useless scraps have fused into one, I, Yi Chengzi, will still take you down!"