Before us lay a paradise crafted from dark, low-lying, smooth gravel, the earth rising and falling with a gentle undulation. As far as the eye could see, only black and rust-red dominated the landscape.

Three of humanity’s strongest were rocketing away in the same direction at incredible speed, their movements laced with an undeniable haste and disarray. Traces of blood dotted their forms, clear evidence of a brutal battle fought and survived, albeit with minor injuries.

These three were none other than Jimo Fanshu, the Cave Master of Glazed Hollow Liu Changju, and the Qilin Saint Lord Qiu Chennu—all characters who had been spirited away by the Great Dragon at the same time.

Though they, too, were traveling in a trio, it was abundantly clear that their predicament was far more perilous than that faced by Zi Duli’s group, which explained their current battered state.

Slowly, the three finally halted. Liu Changju glanced back, his voice thick with lingering fear: “Did we lose them?”

“We should have,” the Qilin Saint Lord sighed deeply. “Those things have incredibly resilient bodies, and they can actually restore their wounds and combat power by absorbing their fallen comrades. Engaging them further would have been a guaranteed defeat.”

Jimo Fanshu’s gaze remained fixed on the distant horizon, his tone suddenly sharp. “We haven’t escaped.”

The expressions of Liu Changju and the Saint Lord immediately soured. Since their arrival, the three had been beset by swarms of powerful monsters. Though the initial wave was numerous, the individual strength of these creatures was generally low; most lacked the ability to fly, posing no real threat to those at the peak of the Human Dao.

However, soon enough, stronger Death Beings began to emerge incessantly. In the final tally, they faced a full contingent of five creatures cloaked in shimmering silver. These monsters possessed immense power; individually, they might not match a peak Human Dao master, but surrounded by a seemingly endless tide of lesser Death Beings, any offensive proved futile. Even when one of the white monsters had an arm ripped off, it simply regrew by consuming a nearby companion. It was precisely this encounter with such formidable, seemingly immortal foes that forced their retreat.

No sooner had Jimo Fanshu spoken than shadows of several hundred Death Beings began to materialize behind them. While the total number wasn’t overwhelming, apart from the five silver-white monsters, the remainder consisted of Blue-Armored and Red-Armored Death Beings. The Red-Armored ones were bothersome enough, but the Blue-Armored contingent could not be underestimated.

“Fight while retreating; wear them down,” Jimo Fanshu stated calmly.

Liu Changju and the Qilin Saint Lord exchanged a look, instantly grasping his strategy. “Create distance,” Liu Changju ground out. “We cannot let the Death Beings from the ground catch up.” If they battled the horde in that sea of endless monsters, their efforts would be pointless as the enemies were inexhaustible. But lure them away from the main swarm, and the victor remained uncertain.

The Qilin Saint Lord nodded repeatedly, a cold light flashing in his eyes. “These monsters have formidable melee capabilities; the hardness of their limbs and oral structures rivals divine weaponry. We must avoid close combat. We will use our divine artifacts to maintain aerial superiority and strike with Divine Power assaults to eliminate them.” He paused. “Brother Liu, your Divine Fire should be effective against them. Once we shear off their wings, whether we can finish them off depends entirely on the efficacy of your flames.”

Liu Changju smiled wryly, full of confidence. “Don’t worry, I have it covered.”

“Control your consumption; don’t let your reserves run dry later.”

“We still have two Snow Fox Elixirs. We can definitely slay them.”

The Qilin Saint Lord waved his hand dismissively. “Brother Liu, the Snow Fox Elixirs are life-saving treasures. They must not be wasted.”

Liu Changju laughed heartily. “Rest assured, I won’t swallow them unless it’s absolutely unavoidable.”

After flying a considerable distance further, they slowly reduced their speed, allowing the hundreds of pursuing Death Beings to close the gap. This time, armed with hard-won experience, the moment contact was made, they unleashed their mightiest forces, directing their most ferocious attacks mercilessly upon the weakest—the Red-Armored monsters.

Their strategy proved correct. Among the pursuers, Red-Armored monsters formed the vast majority, accounting for over ninety-five percent of the contingent. Beyond them were only the five silver-white beasts and about twenty Blue-Armored entities.

Although Liu Changju and the others possessed formidable martial cultivation, against these creatures, they could, at best, destroy a single Red-Armored monster in one devastating blow; the two stronger colored types resisted a clean kill. Moreover, their attacks were sharp, and over the course of prolonged fighting, the masters inevitably sustained several new wounds.

However, having deciphered the strength and habits of the Death Beings, their targeted assaults yielded results: within a mere fifteen minutes, they successfully slaughtered more than half of the Red-Armored contingent.

A faint rustling sound rose from the ground. Jimo Fanshu’s expression shifted slightly. “Move, quickly…”

The three instantly broke away from the encirclement without hesitation. Due to their hasty turn, they were brutally slammed several times by the terrifying silver-white monsters. Even with their power, the impacts left a dull, aching pain.

Still, their sacrifice was not in vain. The moment the first, lowest-tier Death Beings emerged from the sand below, they once again soared far away.

This pattern of fighting and fleeing continued for nearly a full day until they had annihilated every Red-Armored and Blue-Armored monster, finally engaging the five silver-white Death Beings in a final, desperate struggle.

Without the vast numbers of low-level creatures on the ground to replenish their stamina endlessly, the five silver-white monsters were ultimately slain by the combined efforts of the three masters.

Having accomplished their goal, the three burst into loud laughter, their voices ringing with unconcealed triumph. In the world of humanity, they stood at the absolute zenith; such an exhausting, life-and-death struggle was practically impossible to find.

The current situation was perilous, yet for them, it felt exhilarating. The hot blood surging within them ignited new changes in their previously impassive states of mind. They finally understood the Great Dragon’s warning: to advance to the Divine Dao in a short time, they needed to keep their bodies constantly under such intense duress. Furthermore, they had already burned their bridges; retreat was impossible, and there was no time left to squander.

“Let’s go,” Jimo Fanshu said, tidying his robes and applying salve to his injuries.

Liu Changju’s aged face flushed slightly. “Old Assassin, thank you.” During the recent battle, Liu Changju had unleashed his divine power to its absolute limit, managing to incinerate three of the silver-white monsters alive with his Fire Divine Power. However, his defenses were clearly lacking. One silver-white monster managed to close the distance, nearly ripping his abdomen open. At that critical moment, Jimo Fanshu, uncharacteristically, charged forward, engaging the creature in close-quarters combat to slay it instantly. But these monsters possessed terrifying melee prowess; especially that horrendous oral structure, which extended and retracted with fluid grace and was hard enough to withstand a direct blow from a divine artifact. Thus, though the monster was successfully impaled at the last second, Jimo Fanshu sustained significant injuries himself.

Glancing coldly at Liu Changju, Jimo Fanshu stated, “I did it for myself, not for you.”

Liu Changju grunted. Though he held little affection for the world’s foremost assassin, he was certainly not ungrateful. “Regardless of your motive, I accept this favor. I will repay it in the future.”

Jimo Fanshu paused momentarily in the air, letting out a short laugh. “If you want to repay me, then hurry up and get back to the fighting. Reach the Divine Dao as soon as possible. If we delay, what awaits us is certain death.”

The faces of Liu Changju and the Qilin Saint Lord immediately darkened. Recalling the terrifying strength of these creatures and their unique method of absorbing energy and mending wounds, their hearts grew heavy. Exchanging a glance, they pushed their worries aside and flew back in the direction they came from.

However, immediately after their departure, a section of particularly dense yellow sand suddenly parted, and He Yiming, along with the Divine Dao Coagulated Blood Figure, drifted out.

His encountering Liu Changju’s group was also an accident. Upon seeing the powerful pursuers behind them, He Yiming had intended to intervene, but a moment’s delay allowed him to witness the bizarre method by which the trio systematically ground down and killed their monstrous adversaries.

What surprised He Yiming even more was the subtle shift in the aura surrounding the three masters. In that life-or-death struggle, their utilization of power had become exquisitely refined, and faintly, they were beginning to achieve a subtle resonance with the Divine Power within the forces of heaven and earth—a phenomenon He Yiming had only been able to sense after achieving the Divine Dao himself.

Fighting to survive—this method derived from the Asura Path—was indeed the finest route to advancement. He was certain: if these three survived, they would undoubtedly step into the Divine Dao within six months. The Great Dragon’s foresight and experience were truly remarkable; forcing them to break their limits in this manner was worthy of admiration.

A thought struck him, and He Yiming’s expression subtly changed. The six peak Human Dao experts had been divided into three pairs, but Ao Borui, the Ninth Heaven expert from Dongtian Fudi, was nowhere in sight. The Great Dragon’s divine gaze, sharp as lightning, had paired him with the Divine Dao Coagulated Blood Figure, naturally assuming they possessed the strength to handle the current Death Being assaults. But what of Ao Borui?

A large question mark formed in He Yiming’s mind. Did that Ninth Heaven master from the Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land also possess some hidden, overwhelming strength that led the Dragon to assign him to travel alone? Or perhaps the Dragon held an ancient grudge against the Five Elements Sect and deliberately orchestrated this situation to ensure Ao Borui met an untimely end.

Countless possibilities spun through his mind before He Yiming finally let out a long sigh. That Divine Dragon was truly unfathomable; he could not see through its depths. (To be continued)