"Aoo... aoo..." The mournful shriek of the Hellhound exploded forth, echoing throughout the vast chamber, immediately followed by a creaking sound as the massive iron gate slowly swung open.

"Hoo..." Ye Xiu finally caught his breath, dropping to the ground. For the first time, he gazed intently at the Blood-Gleam Gorgeous Blade in his hand. The hilt was ordinary, but the blade was long, resembling a Tang sword. Every swing sent threads of bloody light trailing from the tip, and a murderous aura would transmit from the steel into his very mind—perhaps explaining why his own eyes were deep crimson.

"Stop staring at it, I think you're getting bloodthirsty," Old Liu said, a half-smile playing on his lips as he joked. "But the rapport between you and Ming Luosheng's Gorgeous Blade seems decent. That aura of a sea of blood just now startled even me."

Ye Xiu shrugged. "I still prefer my scythe, unfortunately, that bastard Sha Jun Tian Xia broke it. When we get out, I'm definitely asking that Ming Luosheng how to find Yama, the foremost swordsmith in the Underworld."

"A pity for the renown of the Underworld's Twin Sacred Swords," Old Liu remarked, hands clasped behind his back as he stepped into the iron gate. His greatest interest now was to spar once more with the current Ye Xiu, but before that, he had a mission: to intercept the source of the Blood Sea—what people often call saving the world through the Dao.

Ye Xiu lightly shook the ice shards from his body and followed him through the gate. Unexpectedly, everything inside the iron door reverted to the initial slate pathway, and the stone door engraved with strange humanoid figures immediately reappeared before their eyes.

"These two really are annoying," Old Liu could no longer restrain himself, raising his Thin Face Blade and rushing forward to try and leave a mark on the door. His figure blurred, and when he reappeared, the small knife was already lodged in the gap of the door. A strange thing happened again: the stone door instantaneously teleported backward a certain distance.

"It seems your moves are useless," Ye Xiu drawled, lazily following behind. The Gorgeous Blade pulsed with red light again; he seemed to have discerned the stone door's strangeness. "Stop attacking. This is the main artery of the Styx. This stone door clearly exists to lead us to the end. Didn't you say the end of the Styx is the Underworld?"

"Hmph!" Old Liu shot Ye Xiu a disdainful glance and strode toward the stone door. Pointing at a boundary marker beside it, he lectured Ye Xiu, "You didn't bother reading the instructions before entering. This is the Endless Passage of the Styx, guarded by the two Demon Gods of the Ice and Flame Twin Blades."

"Heh, who cares what they are—Ice and Flame Twin Blades. Before me, they all turn to nothingness!" Ye Xiu couldn't read the elongated script on the boundary marker. Ignoring Old Liu, he buried his head and began walking, one clumsy step after another.

"So this is a map of the entire Styx main artery?" Old Liu focused all his attention on the map, relieved that he could recognize the script. "It turns out the four statues at the beginning are called the Four Sacred Statues of the Underworld, representing the most powerful Demon Gods outside the Underworld's inner cabinet. The central area down the corridor was the Hellhound from moments ago. Setting aside the trials we've passed, I think what I need to tell you is what the next checkpoint written on this marker is: The Asura Seal Master. Who the hell is this guy?"

"The Asura Seal Master?" Ye Xiu shook his head, abandoning all calculation. "We'll take it one step at a time. We need to speed up; those bastards below can't hold out much longer."

"No choice. Knowing there aren't any treasures inside, we have no option but to press on," Old Liu felt like he was riding a tiger he couldn't dismount. He had originally just wanted to grab some loot, never expecting to end up worrying about the fate of the nation! "Good buddy, if we're going to sacrifice ourselves, we go together!"

Amidst banter and playful insults, the two headed toward the next checkpoint. This slate pathway was strange; you felt like you were moving horizontally, but as you approached the stone door, it clearly receded upward. After such to-and-fro movement that covered some distance, the stone door opened once more.

"Go in!" Old Liu, having learned his lesson from before, waved, signaling Ye Xiu to go first, intending to let Ye Xiu scout out any potential dangers.

Ye Xiu glanced at Old Liu, shrugged, and without a care in the world, stepped inside.

After waiting a moment, Old Liu cautiously poked his head into the doorway. "Hey! What's inside?"

"Hahaha, there are so many children in here, Old Liu, come in quickly!" Ye Xiu knew the place was dangerous, yet he burst out laughing at this critical juncture.

Old Liu steadied his nerves before swaggering in, tilting his head back. As expected, several short children greeted his view. They seemed a bit odd, but ultimately, they weren't as soul-chilling as the Hellhound before. "Why are there children along the Styx main artery?"

With a resonant rumble, the stone door shut tight again, and the room was suddenly flooded with light. A hunched figure appeared before the two.

"Heh heh, welcome, you two, to the second-to-last room of the Styx main artery. I am the Asura Seal Master, Laughing Asura," the creature said, his face full of simpering smiles, his mouth like a pointed monkey's jaw. "I guarantee that once you two arrive here, you won't want to leave."

"There are even some children's toys in here. Stop acting all mysterious," Ye Xiu kept one hand in his pocket while the other had already spun the Gorgeous Blade several times as a threat. "We need to pass."

Old Liu helplessly pinched the bridge of his nose and looked at Laughing Asura. "Asura symbolizes cold-blooded slaughter; what's there to laugh about? Be sensible and let me through the door behind you."

Laughing Asura, tiny in stature and dressed like a clown, was not angered by Ye Xiu's words. Instead, he flashed behind Ye Xiu, chuckling, "See how happily those little children are playing? You could join in, you know."

"Hmph, we have important business to attend to; stop wasting your efforts," Old Liu now had his Demon-Breaking Sword drawn. Whether in physique or power, he didn't think much of the short man before him.

"Important business? You two think you can just walk away?" Laughing Asura's words held hidden meaning, and his eyes seemed to conceal something dark and terrifying.

Ye Xiu grew impatient. His Black Flame ignited to maximum intensity, and the Nine Dragons manifested, bearing down on Laughing Asura, intending to finish him off right there.

"Hey, Death God, don't be so ruthless! There are still children here!" Old Liu wasn't ready for a fight and started to rush forward to protect the children. Just then, a flash of green light sparked in Laughing Asura's eyes, followed by a sinister grin. The children accompanying him also seemed to have a strange, eerie green light flicker in their eyes.

Ye Xiu saw the situation and roared at Old Liu, "Are you an idiot? Those children are obviously corrupted! Don't go near them, run!"