"Heh, truly the chosen one," the old man said, his face almost entirely obscured by a thick beard beneath his pure white cloak. "It is thanks to you that the Soul Soldier Talisman has manifested."

"Who are you?" Yexiu retreated warily, his gaze fixed on the stone tablet behind the elder. At that moment, the indentations of various shapes on the tablet began to glow with white light, these lines weaving together to perfectly encase the Tiger Head Soldier Talisman in the center. The talisman suddenly grew larger and ascended from the grooves.

"Not good, quickly seize the Soul Soldier Talisman!" Old Liu reacted with lightning speed. Seeing the talisman take flight, he leaped up, reaching out to snatch it, but a wall suddenly rose before him, blocking his path entirely.

Seeing the dire situation, Huang Le'er swiftly deployed her Soul Thread, instantly summoning an Earth Spirit. A long stone pillar sprouted from the spirit's body, shooting straight toward the Soul Soldier Talisman.

"Rise!" The elder stood calmly in place. With a gentle wave of his hand, the ground cracked open, and a nimble skeleton jumped forth. Sword in hand, it swung across, neatly severing the Earth Spirit's stone pillar.

Yexiu recognized the controlled skeleton minion and knew the elder was from the Bone Sect. He quickly signaled Old Liu and Huang Le'er to stop. "It seems this old man is connected to the Bone Sect. Let's observe the situation first."

A strong arm emerged from beneath the elder's cloak. He smoothly caught the Soul Soldier Talisman and smiled at Yexiu, "Let me see what kind of chosen ones you three are—a Daoist, an Earth Royal family member... Heh, I never expected to see two individuals of the Dead Nation in one day."

"Esteemed elder, may I ask your honorable name?" Yexiu addressed the mysterious old man with great deference. "I am Yexiu, this is Old Liu, and this is Le'er."

The elder walked slowly toward the trio with his hands clasped behind his back. His footsteps were so light they stirred no dust on the sand. "You are a Death God, yet you feel entirely different from the one before."

"Old man, hand over the Soul Soldier Talisman, or don't blame us for being impolite!" Old Liu declared, drawing his Thin-Face Blade. The blade was short and slender now, but its attack power had noticeably increased.

"My name is Jiaye," the elder smiled at Old Liu. A flash of cold light instantly struck behind Liu, and at that moment, several skeletons burst forth, their swords pressed against Old Liu's body.

Old Liu swiftly flipped backward, driving his Thin-Face Blade toward the chest of one skeleton. To his shock, the blade bounced back the instant it touched the bones. His indestructible edge failed to pierce even a minor skeleton.

"Venerable Jiaye, please forgive our rashness." Yexiu sensed the danger and quickly raised both hands. "Everything can be discussed. My friend here has a short temper; I beg your pardon on his behalf."

Old Liu felt indignant and prepared to draw the Seven Swords of Demon Breaking, but in that instant, he realized the small skeleton behind him had grown considerably taller, its terrifying skull now approaching the height of his ascension.

Huang Le'er, equally annoyed by Old Liu's impulsiveness, transformed her main body into a Soul Thread and grabbed his ankle. She pulled down sharply, yanking Old Liu back to the ground. "Can't you ever just settle down? Do you really think you're that Daoist master who saved Baxian Mountain?"

Forcibly grounded, Old Liu grimaced at Le'er. "Why do you assume I am the Daoist master who saved Baxian Mountain? It seems the situation in the Void was real. My Ancient Marvelous Dao is truly unparalleled in its might."

Jiaye retracted his power. He drew a cylindrical box from his sleeve, placed the Soul Soldier Talisman inside, and twisted it shut. "It is not yet time for the Soul Soldier Talisman to manifest. I know someone among the Death Gods wishes to seize it, to reenact the ancient slaughter."

Yexiu thought carefully. Shunyi, whom he and Old Liu had repelled outside the White Bone Dragon Array, certainly wouldn't give up easily. He must have been here and encountered Jiaye, and more information suggested Jiaye had driven Shunyi away. Yexiu nodded, murmuring, "I am indeed a Death God. If I haven't misjudged, Venerable Jiaye is a member of the Bone Sect, correct?"

"Child of the Anomalous Birth, you are indeed completely different from the Death God just now." Jiaye smiled as he secured the Soul Soldier Talisman, gazing intently at Yexiu. "I did defeat that Shadow Death God earlier; his Soul Energy cultivation far surpasses yours. Yet, I feel you pose a greater threat to this world."

"Child of the Anomalous Birth? I request guidance from the Venerable Elder." Yexiu was staggered by those four words. He only knew himself as a Fire-Element Death God; no one had ever mentioned him being some kind of 'Child.'

Jiaye shook his head without offering further explanation. At that moment, the spectral light of the skeleton staff in his hand ignited. Countless bone segments suddenly surged from the ground, crawling onto Jiaye's body as if alive, eventually enveloping him completely. "You are not a Death God in the complete sense, or rather, you have broken away from the origin of the Death Gods. In that regard, you are somewhat similar to my daughter, Hongling."

"What? You mentioned Hongling!" In Yexiu's mind, Hongling had transformed into Mo Xi or perhaps Ji Jiang, the Saint Queen of Ten Thousand Demons in the Void. He hastily called out, "Wait a moment, Elder! You are Hongling's father? I have met Hongling before!"

"Heh, the Body of Anomalous Birth naturally possesses an anomalous fate. It was destined that you would encounter Hongling. The anomaly of the Death Gods should be drowned in the Styx River. Are you interested in tracing the feud between Ksitigarbha and the Asura Clan?" Jiaye, though claiming to be Hongling's father, seemed strangely detached regarding her affairs. He dropped this cryptic remark and vanished amidst the pile of white bones.

"Hey, hey!" Old Liu roared, a sound capable of piercing anything. "Aren't you going to look after your own daughter? She's not acting like herself anymore."

"Hoo..." Huang Le'er let out a heavy breath, staring intently at the spot where Jiaye disappeared. The ground had instantly returned to normal. "Even the Royal Spirit Eye cannot discern the true nature of this elder's good or evil. His cultivation and power must be above all three of us."

Old Liu calmed down upon hearing Le'er's words. Who knew how powerful that old man was? It was a good thing he hadn't engaged him directly.

"Ksitigarbha and the Asura Clan?" Yexiu repeated the phrase repeatedly. He turned to Old Liu. "Didn't you tell me about the Five-Point Burial Mound of Jiuhua Mountain? Isn't that closely related to Ksitigarbha?"

"What's this? The Death God is suddenly interested in those mystical hidden realms?" Old Liu squinted at Yexiu with a wry smile. "Don't expect me to take you there. I distinctly recall we had some kind of clash in the Void; I've always been curious to see the true power of a Death God."

"I await your pleasure anytime!" Yexiu extended one hand, clearly issuing a challenge.