"Hush..." The sound of the north wind arrived in a rush, and strings of snowflakes streamed out from the depths of the ice palace. These snowflakes drifted beautifully, like a sheet of white silk unfurling over Old Liu's head. When the pure white snow subsided, a figure in a long white gown, dotted with touches of pink, descended from the heavens, resembling a celestial maiden encountering the mortal world.

Before Old Liu could see Mei Lengshuang herself, he was enveloped by an unusual, fragrant perfume. He looked closely and realized that not only was Mei Lengshuang stunningly beautiful, but her figure was also exquisitely graceful. As the north wind blew, the natural fragrance intoxicated him slightly. "The Northern Nether Snow Marquis, Mei Lengshuang. Truly a great beauty," he murmured.

"Heh heh, boy, you just killed a few wild beasts, and you're already so arrogant?" Mei Lengshuang raised her eyebrows, and an aura of killing intent instantly washed over Old Liu. The snow that had been melted by the firelight of the beasts instantly reappeared, covering the entire scene. A violent gust of wind followed, once again forming ice blades that lunged towards Old Liu.

"Whoa!" Old Liu could only marvel at how quickly the scene shifted. He gripped his Demon-Breaking Sword and used the Seven Directions Sword Qi to defend against the incoming ice blades. This Demon-Breaking Sword was a sacred relic of the Netherworld, but in Old Liu's hands, it was driven by unorthodox Daoist techniques. While it could display formidable power in occasional battles, the longer the fight lasted, the more evident the drawback of its incompatible righteous and evil energies became. Although he managed to shatter a good deal of the ice shards, some rogue ice blades inevitably managed to slip through and attack him up close. Seeing a sliver of light aimed at him, Old Liu deployed the Thin Face Blade, using the Faceless Blade to cleanly slice the incoming light in two, finally allowing him to catch his breath.

"You are a successor of the Ancient Odd Dao?" Mei Lengshuang appeared young and beautiful, yet who knew how many ages she had survived in this realm? She moved slowly, her long skirt now buried beneath the snow. "That small blade is certainly exclusive to Odd Dao practitioners. But that sword in your hand isn't quite right for you."

Old Liu gasped for air. For the first time, he felt the Demon-Breaking Sword was not performing as well as it should. "If you know about the Ancient Odd Dao, you naturally know my strength. Unfortunately, since ancient times, righteousness and evil cannot coexist. I cannot simply release you while the Ksitigarbha Relic seal remains, so you might as well end yourself."

"What nonsense about righteousness and evil not coexisting? Do you know the origins of the Ancient Odd Dao?" Mei Lengshuang was well aware of the Ksitigarbha Relic's significance. She also knew that once the Gate of Suchness opened, she would regain her freedom after a certain period, allowing the Nether Blood to surge into the mortal realm and the Asura Clan to reappear in the light of day.

Hearing the word 'origins,' the scene in the Seven Stars Trapped Dragon Fiend Ground flashed through Old Liu's mind—the Odd Dao Grandmaster named Liu Yunzong seemed to share a memory with him. Unsure, he naturally hesitated to answer. "Nonsense. My Ancient Odd Dao lineage is long established; of course, I must eradicate heretics like you one by one."

Mei Lengshuang let out a cold laugh, her figure flickering past like a snowflake. By the time she reappeared, her cheek was pressed close to Old Liu's back. She smirked, "Have you ever considered that Odd Dao adherents might also have an inseparable connection with the Netherworld? Are you familiar with the Eight Divisions of the Ancient Odd Dao? Have you ever considered that the founder of the Ancient Odd Blood Dao was actually a denizen of the Netherworld?"

"Damn it!" Old Liu intensely disliked the current of energy behind him. He spun around, brandishing his sword with agile, tiny blade lights, intending to force Mei Lengshuang back. He retreated several steps but saw no figure behind him. He pondered Mei Lengshuang's words carefully. He had never truly engaged with the Ancient Odd Blood Dao, but ancient texts stated that the Ancient Odd Blood cultivated by catalyzing one's own bloodline attributes, where changing blood could alter one's innate potential. Could this blood be connected to the Nether River's Sea of Blood?

Mei Lengshuang drifted uncertainly like a phantom. Her skirt still shimmered ahead, yet her entire form materialized on Old Liu's other flank. Her laughter sent a chill down his spine. "Is that not Abi, one of the Two Sacred Swords of the Netherworld, you hold? Why would a sacred artifact from the Netherworld acknowledge and fall into the hands of a Daoist practitioner? Don't you find that strange?"

"This..." Old Liu held the Demon-Breaking Sword before him, watching the rampant, swimming celestial dragon engraved on the blade. He felt a sinister purple energy emanate from the dragon's mouth, travel along its body to the hilt at the tail, and then flow through the hilt into his hand. In that instant, he watched as the dragon's tail elongated, gradually spreading and coiling around his right hand. The sword was constantly attempting to control his arm, but it couldn't achieve complete dominion because the Odd Dao magical power still existed within him. Yet, this Odd Dao power couldn't fully control the Seven Swords of Demon Breaking either—this was a question he had never found an answer to.

"The Asura Clan occasionally produces some rebels who use the Nether River's blood to research new techniques. Those are what you call Daoists!" Mei Lengshuang's words were sharp, and at this moment, they had lowered Old Liu's psychological defenses. Sensing the opportune moment, she coalesced a ball of snow from behind her and instantly attacked Old Liu. "Rebels have only one outcome: death!"

"Ah!" Old Liu was currently constrained by the demonic power of the Demon-Breaking Sword, making his movements cumbersome. Facing Mei Lengshuang's sudden attack, he had no way to evade it. The blow landed squarely on his chest, sending him flying backward a great distance until he crashed onto the ground.

"Heh heh, farewell, Daoist cultivator!" Mei Lengshuang finally landed. She raised her fair arm, and a small, upright shard of ice in her palm emitted a faint white light. She raised the ice shard before Old Liu. Spikes of ice, sharp as blades, erupted from the ground, their tips aimed downward at Old Liu, ready to plunge in at any moment. "The Netherworld Sacred Sword is wasted in your hands. Driving the power of slaughter with mere Dao techniques is inherently absurd. Die!"

"Thud... Whoosh..." The ice pillars mercilessly struck the ground, shattering the thick accumulated snow. In this moment of crisis, Old Liu used the Yellow Talisman of the Odd Meridians as leverage to shoot far away. He knelt half-bent on the snow, his right hand gripping the Demon-Breaking Sword, which still pulsed with a bloody red glow. The scales on the sword hilt's dragon tail had already covered his entire palm. "Thinking of finishing me off so quickly? You underestimate the Ancient Odd Dao too much."

"Oh?" Mei Lengshuang tossed the ice shard into the air, her hands slowly lowering. She smiled faintly, suddenly intrigued. "Your strength and speed have both seen a substantial boost. This is the realm of Daoism, indeed. But how will you stop the encroachment of the Netherworld Sacred Sword? No matter how strong your Dao techniques, the longer you fight me, the more fiercely the malevolent aura of Abi will conflict with your Daoist power. In this world enhanced by the Ksitigarbha Relic and governed by the Netherworld's peculiar ways, maintaining balance between the two is far from simple."

"Hoo..." Old Liu let out a long, ragged breath. His abdomen, struck by the ice shard, was slowly forming ice crystals that seemed poised to penetrate his organs, causing excruciating pain. He calmly considered that this was the Demon-Breaking Sword's first confrontation with a Netherworld denizen, and the feeling was indeed different from past encounters. But why would the conflict between Buddhist teachings and malevolent energy inside the Gate of Suchness affect him? Was he, too, the 'Anomaly' spoken of by Chang Kong, someone torn between the struggle of righteous and evil forces?