Outside the courtyard, the sunset glow was overwhelming. The scene after the collapse of the Nine Venomous Formation was not some dilapidated village, but a tranquil vista of towering peaks shrouded in rolling clouds that stirred the grass and wind. And now, who stood atop the clouds amidst these mountains?

“Hong Ling…” Ye Xiu’s eyes instantly locked onto the delicate figure crowning the mountain peak. That graceful silhouette, that opulent makeup—it could only be Hong Ling. He tossed aside the Birdman’s hand and slid down the wind, landing at the edge of the precipice. Facing Hong Ling’s back, a thousand mysteries swirled within him.

“Hey, she might be Mo Xi…” The Birdman tried to stop Ye Xiu, but just as he prepared to descend, a black gust howled past. From within the black wind shot a shadow, a figure with a human face but radiating endless arms that pinned him firmly in mid-air, rendering him utterly immobile. “Damn it, Ye Xiu, watch out…”

“King of the Underworld, you have finally deigned to see me…” This was not Hong Ling’s voice; it was the voice of the body, elegant and noble. She turned with measured grace to face Ye Xiu—was it Mo Xi or Mo Shu?

“King of the Underworld?” Ye Xiu slowly walked closer. He turned to look behind him; on this mountain peak, there was no one else but himself. “Hong Ling, what are you talking about?”

Hong Ling slowly raised her arm. It was slender, fair, like a piece of polished jade. As she fully extended her hand toward Ye Xiu, a cyan light emanated from her palm, enveloping the entire scene. “You still possess not a shred of soul energy? Could it be I have mistaken the person?”

Ye Xiu raised his hand to shield his eyes from the glare. He felt irritated by the rambling of a beautiful woman before him. “I say, Hong Ling, what has gotten into you? What kind of place is this, and why are you standing here making such a scene?”

Hong Ling walked directly toward Ye Xiu without hesitation, pressing her cheek against his. At this moment, she wore an expression of warmth and bliss. “There is no mistake, you are His Highness, the King of the Underworld. I can feel your essence. Back then, I used the Divine Spark of the Heavenly White Lotus to enter the gates of the Death Realm, breaking my form so you could be born alongside King Jie. Now you both have your separate cycles of reincarnation. You are here; where is King Jie?”

What the hell? Ye Xiu was completely bewildered. According to Hong Ling, he was some King of the Underworld, and he and that Xia Jie had been born at the same time back in historical times, now both reincarnated. How did he end up reincarnated as a low-level Death God?

“Is the High God not by your side, Your Highness?” Hong Ling straightened up, her tone filled with deference.

“The High God is my master; I don’t know where he is now either?” Ye Xiu was stunned, shocked that Hong Ling knew anything about the High God. “Who exactly are you, and how do you know the High God?”

“So, that’s it. The time is not yet ripe…” Hong Ling seemed to grasp something. She suddenly turned away. Beneath her lay ten thousand feet of azure clouds, unfathomably deep. The wind arrived softly, setting her red skirt fluttering. Some white petals began to sprout from beneath her feet, slowly winding up to her waist, then her chest. She smiled at Ye Xiu before transforming into a pure white lotus, ascending into the sky, vanishing amid the beautiful scenery.

“Hong Ling!” Ye Xiu rushed to the cliff edge, only inhaling waves of faint fragrance but failing to grasp any clue of her presence. “How could you know about my Death God master, the High God?”

“The High God exists no more!” At that moment, the black shadow binding the Birdman suddenly extended toward Ye Xiu’s back. A dark silhouette materialized within the shadow. The figure spread both hands, and the shadow coiled around Ye Xiu’s legs, immobilizing him completely.

“Damn!” Ye Xiu struggled but couldn't break free. In desperation, he clenched the purple flames in both hands and struck down hard toward the ground. Dust and sand exploded everywhere, yet the pure black shadow remained entirely unharmed.

“It seems the High God only taught you the flame-element Death God powers, and your soul energy level is practically zero! All useless trinkets.” The shadow looked upon Ye Xiu’s meager power with utter contempt. With a flash, it closed the distance to Ye Xiu’s back, and instantly, the surrounding black shadows pierced into Ye Xiu’s body like needles, causing black blood to spatter the ground.

“Pfft…” Ye Xiu’s eyes widened. He couldn't hold back, and blood poured from his mouth as he sank heavily to his knees. “Who are you?”

The silhouette slowly solidified from the ink-blackness, and a young man clad in a black cloak stood behind Ye Xiu. His build was strong, his face stern, and black currents of energy constantly surged around him—to call him a Death God would be an understatement. “I have no idea what the King of the Underworld is thinking, sending me to eliminate a low-tier, insignificant Death God like you!”

“Ye Xiu, run!” At that moment, an eagle’s cry echoed from the sky. Old Liu instantly materialized into human form and struck at the black-clad figure with a thin blade. But as soon as his blade appeared, a cloud of black mist enveloped the sky, robbing both him and the weapon of any ability to move.

The black-clad man slowly raised his head, spreading his arms. The shadows once again formed endless spikes, their target clearly the three men below who were now utterly helpless. “I didn’t expect that I, Shun Yi, would have to eliminate three fellows from different clans here. Quite a troublesome job.”

As Shun Yi finished speaking, the shadows overhead transformed into sharp barbs and lunged toward the trio. The Birdman tried to use his wings as a shield, but it was useless, while Ye Xiu and Old Liu below were already covered in blood…

“Swish! Swish! Swish!” Just then, the battered sword box on Old Liu’s back suddenly shot out streams of chilling light. That light triggered sword energy which actually repelled the dark shadows. At that very moment, Ye Xiu’s Death God Scythe seemed to sense its master’s peril, leaping up and spinning continuously, shattering everything around it.

“This is…” Shun Yi felt a great sense of foreboding upon seeing this. Squinting, he discerned a faint clue. “You two actually possess the Sacred Swords of the Netherworld!”

“Take him down!” Ye Xiu caught his breath and used his purple flames to propel the scythe toward Shun Yi. Old Liu, realizing the power of his sword box, became extremely excited and poured all his accumulated cultivation into it. Instantly, the space between heaven and earth was filled with the glow of sunset and the aura of vital blood.

“Damn you, you wait!” Shun Yi seemed intimidated by this fierce energy permeating the world. He dissolved into a wisp of black smoke and vanished from the mountaintop. As he left, the area was immediately bathed in light, and the Birdman slowly drifted down from the sky.

“Hoo…” Ye Xiu looked at the two behind him, completely bewildered. “Are you both alright?”

“Damn it, who was that guy? Is he a Death God too?” Old Liu clutched the sword box tightly; it was his hope.

The Birdman staggered up and patted Ye Xiu’s shoulder. “The lineage of Death Gods is far more complex than we imagined.”

“I must go back and find the High God; he is my master. He is likely the only one who understands all of this!” Ye Xiu wiped the blood from his mouth. Hong Ling’s words and the abilities of that Shun Yi just now had deeply shaken him.