Old Liu instantly retreated several zhang, enhanced by the black talisman covering his body, catching the Honored One. He turned his head to look at Han Xin and demanded, "What kind of evil path dare to cause trouble here?"

Han Xin smiled faintly, glanced at Ji Jiang, and inquired, "This fellow managed to injure Chiwen; he is certainly no ordinary person. Do you know what he does?"

Ji Jiang, as the Holy Empress of Ten Thousand Demons, had existed in this world for countless years. Looking at Old Liu, she recalled the techniques he had previously deployed: "That kind of Daoist art was indeed used by certain people in the ancient times, but the passing years have made me forget the specifics."

"Listen here, Daoist! This matter does not concern you. If you insist on standing in my way, I fear you will be utterly destroyed along with Mount Buxian!" As Han Xin finished speaking, he unleashed black flames from both hands. At that moment, the entire Mount Buxian transformed into a mountain of fire. Towering flames roared, sending waves of heat scorching a thousand li away.

"Summoning Heaven with Strange Dao!" Old Liu set the Honored One down and raised his sword toward the sky. Silver-white light lines spread across his body, tracing his movements as they shot into the clouds. In an instant, a blizzard descended upon Mount Buxian. The snowflakes were as large as roof tiles, instantly blanketing the mountain. In mere seconds, the thick flames were extinguished, and the entire mountain became nothing short of a massive snow-covered peak.

"Daoist arts capable of changing the weather?" Ji Jiang swept her long sleeves and moved to the rear. She rapidly calculated with her fingers, gaining insight: "Indeed, a clan involved in the Battle of the Gate of the Dead. He cannot be allowed to remain!"

Han Xin sneered and channeled the black Su Hun in his hand onto his long sword. That sword hailed from the Sect of Myriad Swords and was named Tian Yi. He strode before Old Liu, gazing at the maple-red sword in the Daoist's hand, and stated, "There is only one kind of person who stands before me, Han Xin."

Old Liu focused intently on Han Xin before him. As a cultivator, he was unaware of the current state of the mortal realm, but he detested war and held no fondness for anyone in military garb.

"The dead!" Han Xin proudly licked the blade of his long sword. In that moment, his form shifted violently, flashing behind Old Liu in the blink of an eye, his sword pressing precisely against the front of Old Liu's throat.

Though a cultivator, Old Liu possessed skill in swordsmanship. He knew Han Xin was incredibly fast; the instant Han Xin’s blade lunged, his own sword was already guarding his neck. Sweat began to bead slowly on his forehead. The creeping black energy emanating from Han Xin’s sword pressed upon him with an unprecedented weight.

"Clang!" Han Xin sidestepped, retracting his sword. Now his entire body was alongside Old Liu, but the long sword was snaking behind him. With another reverse strike, he pierced Old Liu’s back, striking a glowing swastika formation. Han Xin was greatly astonished: "Daoists are truly formidable; every part of their body is protected by an infallible method."

"Agh!" Old Liu temporarily blocked Han Xin's attack. With a roar, he transformed his red sword into maple leaves, entangling Han Xin within them. At that moment, he continuously infused his hands and feet with talismanic energy. He exploded forth, controlling the maple leaves to lash at Han Xin's body as if they were razor-sharp blades.

"Swish-swish-swish!" Maple leaf blades, trailing black blood, spun back and forth across the battlefield. Han Xin stood steady within the storm, allowing the sharp blades to cleave his body. He showed no fear, only a scornful smile. He then grasped one falling maple leaf and sneered, "What's wrong, cultivator? Is this all your power amounts to? Do you truly believe a few maple leaves can harm me?"

"If that is the case, then witness my sword!" Old Liu's enhancements were complete; his speed now even surpassed Han Xin’s. He reawakened the Yuli Sword and thrust it repeatedly at Han Xin.

Han Xin moved laterally, eventually discarding his long sword and letting it instinctively parry Old Liu’s onslaught. He had not expected a mere cultivator to withstand the Reaper in terms of swordsmanship and brute force.

"Yuli, Emerge!" Old Liu tossed the Yuli Sword into the air as well. Mid-air, the two blades clashed fiercely, sending up brilliant sparks repeatedly. Meanwhile, Old Liu rose up bare-handed with a palm strike, which Han Xin firmly caught.

"Do you wish to taste the black flame as well?" Han Xin spoke coldly, gathering the black flame in his hand once more. "I will remember you, cultivator. What is your name?"

"Liu... Yuzong!" Old Liu pulled out a talisman and crystallized ice onto his palm, but Han Xin’s black flame instantly melted the ice. The black flame brought not just surface damage; the torment it inflicted burrowed deep into the spirit, a scorching agony like myriad steel needles stabbing through his internal organs. Old Liu's entire skin turned bright red from the burning. In desperation, he pulled out a colorful talisman and pressed it to his chest.

"Daoist!" The Honored One seemed to sense the purpose of the colored talisman. She rushed forward, attempting to pull Old Liu and Han Xin apart, but a blinding light erupted from their clasped hands. A violent explosion and a wave of heat washed over the entire world. Before she could evade, she was sucked into an endless, void-black hole.

"Nether King!" Ji Jiang cried out but could not approach the Han Xin before her. She watched helplessly as the light consumed both Old Liu and Han Xin. There was no more fighting, no more divine beasts in the heavens or on the earth; all that remained was a snow-covered mountain peak.

...

"Damn it, my hand is so hot!" Old Liu was the first to break free from the ball of light, tumbling down the stairs in a series of rolls. He clutched his right hand, feeling an indescribable scorching heat but seeing no visible injury.

Ye Xiu was also ejected by the power of the void. He watched Old Liu writhing on the ground and felt a strange sense of familiarity, vaguely recalling a fight he once had with Old Liu at some point.

Huang Le'er stumbled slightly when she emerged, but as a princess, she naturally wouldn't make a fuss like Old Liu.

"Damn it, what did you guys encounter in there? What did I see on Mount Buxian! And I seem to have turned into someone else entirely." Old Liu stood up, rubbing his backside, looking at Ye Xiu and Le'er before him. "I truly wonder if I'm dreaming; I feel like I've seen you two before in a dream?"

"You feel the same way?" Huang Le'er had initially planned to ignore Old Liu, but she seemed to have gained some impression of him within that void, and crucially, these impressions were relatively positive. "We clearly entered different voids, how could we have impressions of others? I feel like I was playing a role as someone in there?"

"Han Xin!" Ye Xiu turned toward the stairs connected by the ball of light, but the light mass and the steps had already vanished. He rubbed his head, feeling confused. "I have crossed swords with Han Xin, but why does it feel like I was wrestling with myself? This formation is too illusory; I really can't explain that sensation."

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