Watching the completely melted Guan Siyan, Ming Luosheng couldn't help but sigh, "Huohou has always been stubborn and ill-tempered; I never expected him to forcefully break through the Earth Store Sarira seal. It’s just a shame he devolved into such a low-grade monster."

The magma slowly dissipated, and a fiery red figure, one of the Five Lords of the Underworld, ascended into the air. Four of the Five Lords were now vanquished, and four Earth Store Sariras had been secured. Only one remained: the Lord of the Fourth Realm, known as the mightiest, Wu Jun.

"What happened to Death God?" At that moment, Birdman landed on the platform, dragging his exhausted body. Seeing his companions still intact brought him considerable relief. "That massive explosion just now shook the entire Dao Realm. Did the Death God cause it?"

Ming Luosheng knew the Blood Sea intimately. Looking at the self-repairing wounds on Ye Xiu's back, he expressed admiration, "The blood in him originates from the Nether River Blood Sea, yet it’s mixed with the Buddha-power aura of the Earth Store King. The black outline surrounding him is the Death God's lineage. This fellow is truly terrifying; he must be a one-in-ten-thousand anomaly."

"Heh..." Ye Xiu, standing beneath the platform, heard Ming Luosheng's words and suddenly grinned, flashing back towards them. Veins pulsed across his face as he instantly appeared behind Ming Luosheng, unleashing a punch wreathed in black flames, aiming to end his life.

"Clang!" Ming Luosheng rapidly blocked with his Blood-Light Brilliant Saber. However, Ye Xiu's black flames had somehow already scorched the blade. He stepped back rapidly, evading to the edge of the platform.

"Hey, Ye Xiu, listen to me first." Old Liu had intended to call Ye Xiu to halt, but upon seeing Ye Xiu’s bloodshot eyes, he instinctively retreated several steps in fear.

"Your friend is likely someone from the Underworld. The Netherworld Blood within Ye Xiu’s body is in direct confrontation with him!" Changkong once again produced the two strands of prayer beads from his person. He summoned a massive barrier golden disc using the Brahma Sea Gathering Heaven Seal, which descended from above and completely enveloped Ye Xiu. "His power is growing step-by-step. The Earth Store Buddha-power is regulating the malevolence in him; otherwise, he would have likely self-destructed."

Birdman's Celestial Eye was open, allowing him to perceive the abnormality in Ye Xiu’s soul energy. He immediately launched his entire set of feather blades into the area around Ye Xiu, forming a sturdy barricade to contain him entirely. "Old Liu, use your Odd Dao magic silk threads!"

"O-okay..." Old Liu had briefly considered sparring with Ye Xiu, realizing now that this Ye Xiu was perhaps his true counterpart. The gap between himself and the Death God seemed vast indeed. At this moment, all he could do was activate his Dao arts to drive the thin-bladed silk threads to bind Ye Xiu’s limbs.

"Agh... Yah..." Ye Xiu, instantly facing resistance from three forces, could only move with great difficulty. Yet, his desire to kill Ming Luosheng overwhelmed everything else. He brought both fists together, breaking free from the encirclement of the Gathering Heaven Seal, feather blades, and threads as if hatching from a shell. Without hesitation, he swung his fists again toward Ming Luosheng, the two plumes of flame resembling two entwined flying dragons casting shadows over the entire world.

"Blood Sacrifice Reversal!" Ming Luosheng’s body glowed crimson. He closed his eyes and lightly drew the Blood-Light Brilliant Saber across his wrist. The moment a crimson streak flowed out, the entire world fell silent.

Ye Xiu stood before Ming Luosheng as if deflated, powerless. He stared blankly as Ming Luosheng’s appearance returned to normal, the murderous aura completely dissipating.

"This..." Changkong watched as Ming Luosheng sheathed his saber. He understood immediately. "You shifted your blood rank in such a short time? You can control the Nether Blood?"

Old Liu cautiously approached Ye Xiu, grabbing him and pulling him down to sit on the ground. "What is wrong with this guy? Why did he quiet down so suddenly?"

Ming Luosheng let out a long breath. "His chaotic state hasn't fully cleared. I could only alter my own blood rank to avoid clashing with the Nether Blood inside him. This fellow is truly terrifying; I nearly died at his hands."

"Blood rank clash?" Birdman had encountered many things but lacked deep understanding of the Underworld.

"It’s like sound waves of the same frequency; they can stack upon each other," Old Liu understood Ming Luosheng's situation. As a Blood Master with a special designation in the Underworld, his research on Nether Blood was incomparable to ordinary people.

"Whoosh..." At that moment, a warm light shot from the horizon into the crowd. As the object approached Ye Xiu, it formed a thin mist that enveloped him, lifting him into the air. Immediately following, a bolt of lightning struck, and a refined young man waving a fan appeared before the group. "Blood Master Ming Luosheng, so you haven't been dead all this time!"

"You are..." Birdman, Old Liu, and Changkong all tensed their alertness. Seeing this person smiling yet possessing such formidable power, they simultaneously thought of the Fourth Realm Lord, Wu Jun.

Ming Luosheng calmly walked forward, his Brilliant Saber in hand but lacking significant fighting intent. "Lord of the Five, Wu Jun. Long time no see. I didn't expect your appearance to have changed so little!"

Wu Jun easily fanned himself with a blue fan. The feathers of the fan were White Phoenix Feathers, colored blue because they had absorbed the essence of the Heavenly Sea—a place similar to the mortal realm and a mystery since ancient times. Wu Jun was handsome and always disliked those who were cruel and merciless. "The fellow above shouldn't have come to Rushi Gate in the first place. It seems you are determined to bring back the tyranny of Ji Du and Slaughtering the Emperor, aren't you!"

Changkong quickly calculated. Only one prayer bead remained atop Rushi Gate. This meant that if the Earth Store Sarira on Wu Jun wasn't obtained soon, the tyrant of the Demon Realm would reawaken.

"You used the essence of the Heavenly Sea to help him harmonize his blood rank?" Ming Luosheng never believed Wu Jun was the kind of benevolent person to help others gratuitously, yet the Heavenly Sea White Phoenix was currently the only thing capable of reducing the malevolence in Ye Xiu's heart.

"We, the Five Lords of the Underworld, were sealed by the Earth Store King's Sarira. The Four Lords of Southeast and Northwest have all died by your hands. Mei Lengshuang died without regret; Ping Yunji met a worthy opponent; Xian Tianhe willingly admitted defeat. Only Guan Siyan actually abandoned his true form and became a monster. As an Asura, he was already unfit to live in this world," Wu Jun spoke casually, appearing detached from life and death. "I have also heard the tales of Slaughtering the Emperor, but it's a pity you can't manage a four-on-one fight. Everything in this world is destined; no one can change it."

Changkong adopted an equally composed demeanor after hearing Wu Jun’s words. He knew that his, Birdman’s, and Old Liu’s combat strength had reached its limit. A direct confrontation with Wu Jun would only be counterproductive. He stated calmly, "What you say is true. Without the Fourth Realm Lord, you, perhaps we wouldn't even be able to subdue this Death God."

"I have only one opponent." Wu Jun was not intentionally making things difficult, as the world's calamities were mere dust to him. He pointed at Ming Luosheng and laughed, "Do you remember the contention for the Four Master Ranks in the Underworld millions of years ago? The Masters of Arms, Strategy, and Summoning were all defeated by me. It was only because I lost to you, the Blood Master, that the Lord of the Underworld demoted me to a Lord. I still don't understand—shouldn't the Master Ranks belong to the most capable? How could those three useless ones compare to me, and how can I accept being narrowly defeated by you!"