This focused blast of energy bought the Watchdog precious time. The white frost hammered onto the roof, shattering more layers of ice. In moments, thick clumps of ice began to reform on the Watchdog's head, building a heavy shield around its core.

"My turn!" The Watchdog shook its massive head, its sharp claws whipping upward, slicing the air into powerful shockwaves.

"How are we supposed to strike the core if this keeps up?" Ye Xiu barely managed to evade the last assault and hadn't caught his breath when a beam of chilling light shot toward him again. He had been relying on his Black Flame recoil to weave through the air, but he realized his current trajectory would inevitably intersect that beam of cold energy. In desperation, he channeled the Soul Speed boost from his jade ring into the Gorgeous Blade. The blade shot forward like an arrow, dragging him along as it slammed directly into the wall, narrowly dodging the attack.

"Hoo..." Old Liu, who had taken cover near Ye Xiu, let out a long, shuddering breath. He surveyed the surroundings and felt something was amiss. He realized the Watchdog's gravity palm strike hadn't been aimed at either of them at all; its intent had been to smash the ground so forcefully that it fractured the numerous ice spikes covering the roof. He looked up, and in an instant, several massive spikes, now loosened and swaying precariously, began their merciless descent directly toward his head.

"Gah!" Ye Xiu, still pressed against the wall, looked up. The circular roof was a dense mosaic of ice stalactites—some trembling, others already sharp as spears, cascading downward.

"Yee-haw!" At that moment, Old Liu shot the filament of his Thin Surface Blade into an ice spike embedded in the Watchdog’s back. With a flourish, he slid down onto the creature's back. "Clever thinking, but surely these colossal ice shards can’t possibly harm you, right?"

As the rain of ice shards plummeted, they heavily pierced the Watchdog’s back—and Old Liu along with it. He activated the Meridian Path technique to enhance his agility. Having pre-calculated the impact zones, he subtly shifted his body to dodge, but to his astonishment, as the shards embedded themselves in the Watchdog’s back, they didn't wound it; instead, they only thickened the ice armor surrounding it.

"Do you understand the power of the Asura Clan now?" The Watchdog’s red eyes flashed as it slammed a claw down onto its own back with a force that startled even Old Liu. Thankfully, his Demon Breaking Sword flashed into his hand, allowing him to grit his teeth and absorb the heavy blow.

"Netherworld Holy Sword?" This was the first time the Watchdog had come into close contact with the Demon Breaking Sword, and a measure of doubt crept in. "Why do you two possess items from the Netherworld? Has an Asura rebelled?"

Ye Xiu, still clinging to the wall, felt a surge of excitement watching this. Old Liu, in his relatively small frame, was using a single hand and sword to block the force of the Watchdog, which was tens of thousands of times larger. This was proof enough of the Holy Sword's might. It was a pity his own Reaper's Scythe was broken. He had no choice but to transform his Black Flame into nine fierce dragons, slamming them down onto the Watchdog below.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!" Though the force of the nine dragons was immense, it could only melt the thick ice layer, failing to even graze the Watchdog’s flesh.

"It's useless, mortals are always just mortals!" Although the Watchdog couldn't easily comprehend Old Liu and Ye Xiu, it remained supremely confident that these two could not harm it. "How long do you think you can last in this Ice Heaven Grotto?"

"Old Liu!" Ye Xiu stood coolly atop the Watchdog's shoulder, raising his blade and smiling. "You must have seen the flaw in its defense from that last move."

Old Liu nodded, grasping the Demon Breaking Sword with both hands and chuckling slyly. "I get what you mean. I didn't realize we actually had this much chemistry between us."

Ye Xiu’s eyes flared red as he unleashed the Soul Speed enhancement upon the Gorgeous Blade. Blood-red light flooded the area. That infusion of raw energy—whether in speed or destructive power—was significantly higher than before. Looking at Old Liu, his Demon Breaking Sword carved a circle in the air, an array of blades; the seven sword shadows that usually accompanied it instantly multiplied. Communicating purely on instinct, their coordination was flawless.

The Watchdog seemed to sense their combined intent. It raised a hand to shield its central head. Just then, the first blade of blood-light descended, instantly scraping away the ice armor covering its palm. Ye Xiu didn't pause; the nine Black Flame Dragons streamed downward, intensifying their assault to obliterate every thick layer of ice on that hand. This was compounded by the countless sword shadows from Old Liu striking simultaneously. With a loud crack, the Watchdog’s front paw was completely exposed to the surroundings.

"What!" Despair flickered in the Watchdog's eyes. It couldn't believe that its proud ice shield had been dismantled in just three stages of attack by these two figures. It glared in fury, preparing to leap up and pounce on Old Liu, but then it noticed a flash of painful red light nearby.

"That claw is obsolete," Ye Xiu stated coldly as his figure lightly swept past the Watchdog's limb.

"You!" A tinge of tragic agony crossed the Watchdog's face. It tried to slowly lift its front claw, only to watch in horror as it slid cleanly away from its body, dissolving into ash mid-air, leaving only specks of blood mist behind.

Boom. Losing a limb, the Watchdog lost its balance and collapsed heavily onto the ground. It hadn't expected two mere cultivators to bring it to such humiliation.

"That was just one claw, Old Liu!" Ye Xiu's words made his intention clear. "For the next strike, make sure you strip away all the ice!"

"Tch!" Old Liu rarely liked being ordered around, but this time he obeyed Ye Xiu. He soared into the air once more, unleashing the full power of the Meridian Path. In an instant, wind and rain intertwined, sea waves surged with lightning, and the seven Demon Breaking Swords struck the Watchdog’s entire body faster than ever, forming two cold, luminous halos.

"If you’d used this much power earlier, this would have been over by now," Ye Xiu mocked Old Liu's movements, no longer even sparing the Watchdog a glance.

The Watchdog angrily struggled to rise, only to find that under Old Liu's multifaceted assault, the heavy ice layer encasing it was now utterly useless. It exhaled a stream of cold air, attempting to repair the damage, but it was too late. After all, the only things capable of breaking ice are weapons.

Ye Xiu descended from the heavens holding the blood-lit Gorgeous Blade. His eyes glowed red, perfectly mirroring the crimson threads on the blade. At that moment, he grinned, sweeping his strike downward, tearing open the heavens into a cascading sea of blood. That blood-sea mercilessly washed over the Watchdog’s entire body, swallowing it whole.