The faint light slowly faded, and the High God fell silent. At that moment, a cloud of purple mist drifted out, swirling around Ye Xiu. The purple vapor rose and fell before finally settling directly opposite Ye Xiu. As it gradually coalesced, the outline of a slender figure emerged: a woman clad in a short, purple dress. Her physique was stunning, with long, fair legs, and the skirt hugged the curves of her full hips. Above her narrow waist, a pair of luscious, water-tender landscapes stood proudly erect. A bewitching face watched Ye Xiu with a hint of coyness.

“You… who are you?” Ye Xiu had barely shaken off the shock of the High God’s death when this alluring woman appeared, instantly filling him with hostility. He gripped his scythe, ready for a serious fight.

“Don’t be nervous, Master.” The woman slowly approached Ye Xiu. She extended a smooth, alabaster arm and gently touched his chest, docile as a cat. “I am the spirit within this jade ring, and I am your servant. You can call me Su Su.”

“What the hell!” Ye Xiu roughly batted the woman’s hand away, instantly enveloped in a cloud of fragrance. “Tell me what’s going on right now, or I won’t be polite to you.”

“Oh, alright! Master, are you going to deal with me right here and now?” Su Su leaned against Ye Xiu with an obsequious air. She stuck out her tongue, clearly intending to leave a mark on his face. “I am here to help Master cultivate Soul Energy. If nothing unexpected happens, my entire life, including this body, belongs to you, Master.”

Ye Xiu gasped. So the High God had used his power to summon such a fiery soul from the jade ring. With a figure this explosive, few men could handle it. “Fine, fine. Even so, tell me how I should cultivate.”

Hearing this, Su Su instantly sprang away from Ye Xiu’s body and explained with solemnity, “Master, your current cultivation realm is still Blood Vessel Beginner. This means you can inject Soul Energy into your weapons for combat. To reach Blood Vessel Intermediate, you must break through the Beginner Soul Energy limit, which is measured by the Soul Energy you have acquired.”

“How do I get Soul Energy, and how do I break through this limit?” Ye Xiu was annoyed to find himself still at the Beginner level. After all, Shun Yi had reached Spirit Motion Beginner, a full two realms above him.

Su Su lowered her gaze, lightly lifting Ye Xiu’s hand. “Soul Energy must be obtained through slaughter. Of course, combat also consumes Soul Energy. Think of it like experience points—once the experience is sufficient, you will naturally advance to the next realm.”

Ye Xiu took this to heart, finding it utterly trite. He sighed listlessly. “Fine, so this just means I have to go around fighting and killing? Is there no other way?”

“Oh, there is one piece of good news!” Su Su jumped up happily, stroking Ye Xiu’s hand. “I possess a supreme unique skill, something all Death Gods desire, but I’m only giving it to my Master.”

Ye Xiu made a gesture, signaling her to continue.

Su Su’s eyes sharpened, losing some of their fawning manner and gaining a fierce edge. “I can absorb surrounding Soul Energy, which can both replenish my own strength and help break through the Soul Energy limit. With me, Master, you are certain to reach the upper realms at the fastest possible speed.”

“That powerful? Then I can break through Blood Vessel Beginner right now?” Ye Xiu happily raised a finger. He hadn't expected the Soul Stone he possessed to have such a fierce ability. He truly had struck gold.

“Well… well…” Seeing Ye Xiu so excited, Su Su stepped back a few paces, looking embarrassed. “I can’t control my ability very well myself, so this unique skill is very unstable. I don’t know when it will activate.”

“You!” Ye Xiu felt as if he’d plummeted from the heavens into the abyss. His dream of approaching Shun Yi’s power was nothing but a pipe dream. “If you have nothing else to do, just go back into the ring. At least let me be alone for a while.”

“Death God, I finally found you!” Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed from the darkness, immediately followed by a glinting little knife flying out—it was Old Liu’s Thin-Face Blade, aimed directly at Ye Xiu.

“Damn it!” Ye Xiu caught the incoming Thin-Face Blade with two fingers. He was experienced and intimately familiar with Old Liu’s signature move. “How did you find me here?”

Old Liu, dressed in casual clothes, hopped next to Ye Xiu. He wore a hood, and a long object was tightly wrapped in canvas on his back. Old Liu faced Ye Xiu, but his eyes weren't on him; they were fixed intently on Su Su’s waist, almost drooling. “Tell me, Death God, where did you find such a beauty? Aren’t you going to introduce us?”

“Stay away from Master!” At this moment, Su Su seemed to sense the power emanating from Old Liu. She transformed into a purple smoke and blocked Ye Xiu. “Dare to disrespect the Master, I’ll suck you dry…”

“Suck me…” Old Liu let out a strange laugh upon hearing this. “Sister, which part of me are you planning to suck?”

“Alright, Su Su, hurry back into your ring.” Ye Xiu glared and raised his hand. The Dragon-Patterned Jade Ring actually generated a strong gust of wind, sucking the purple smoke that was Su Su back inside. “I have things to discuss. Be good and stay inside; don’t wander around.”

“Yes, Master!” Before leaving, Su Su shot Old Liu a glare, then reluctantly circled Ye Xiu twice before obediently sinking into the dragon-mouth carving.

“I feel like this girl is some kind of spirit, or perhaps you’ve mastered the methods of Death God cultivation?” Old Liu looked at Ye Xiu with pleasure. He was intensely interested in the Death God lineage. “It’s only been a few days, but something inside you seems to have changed. Seeing your strength has grown makes me excited too. Why do you think that is?”

“Stop it. Why don’t you tell me about that sword case you seemingly snatched away last time!” Ye Xiu certainly hadn’t forgotten that day. “The swords inside—are they the holy swords of the Asura Clan from the Underworld, Abhi?”

“That’s right!” Old Liu seemed to have thoroughly analyzed it. As he spoke, he unwrapped the item on his back, revealing a delicate, exquisite longsword before Ye Xiu. “One of the Underworld’s Twin Holy Swords, Abhi! It’s a brother sword to your sickle, Yuan Tu!”

As Ye Xiu gazed at the sword, an icy chill washed over him. The blade was long and elegant; the hilt was pure black, possessing an irregular curve. The blade itself was long, and a black dragon coiled upward from the hilt’s base, winding intricately until it pierced the tip. However, the sword had no traditional tip; instead, beneath the dragon’s head, two dragon fangs stood erect within a bloody maw. “Truly an object of supreme Yin and evil. Even looking at it makes my back crawl.”

Old Liu was a Daoist practitioner and felt a degree of apprehension toward this sword. “This thing is strange. Every time I grip it, the dragon’s tail tries to wrap around my hand. The sword is fiercer than the man, as if it wants to consume me. Moreover, every strike unleashes six layers of sword shadows, totaling seven strikes with the main blade, so I named it the Seven Demon-Slaying Swords!”

“Seven Demon-Slaying Swords. Sounds quite righteous,” Ye Xiu remarked. He knew the power of the Underworld Holy Swords. Perhaps because he was a Death God, he could tolerate the inherent malevolence of his sickle, but sometimes he truly felt that sensation Old Liu described—the sword being fiercer than the man. He walked a few paces, found a place to sit, and asked, “You didn’t find me today just to discuss swords, did you? Don’t tell me you want me to go chase some damn magic array for treasures with you again. Last time, I was lucky to only lose a red silk sash; the next time, I might lose my life!”

“This time, I’m not afraid you won’t go…” Old Liu said mysteriously, patting his shoulder. “Remember Shun Yi, who injured us on the Nine Venomous Array that day?”