"Hmph, don't you think we've been dormant for far too long and should get down there to stretch our limbs?" the first figure laughed, already spinning his bladed weapon as he plummeted, striking the ground hard enough to cause a slight tremor. "Or perhaps I'll suffice alone; you can stay put and watch the show?"

"Do you truly believe you can handle those two by yourself?" The tone from the one above suggested a lack of complete confidence in his companion.

"Hmph!" As the figure on the ground gathered his power, he swung his long saber, pointing it toward Old Liu and Ye Xiu. Instantly, a surge of chilling frost affixed itself to the blade, transforming the weapon into a solid pillar of ice.

"Enough chatter. Our purpose in coming here is to cleave you two down!" Ye Xiu's eyes flared, his aura suddenly formidable. He turned his head to glance at Old Liu, and that terrifying crimson light once again washed over the surroundings. "It's about time you two got a taste of my Radiant Blade's power."

"Ye Xiu, you!" Old Liu grew increasingly uneasy. Since entering this Five-Pointed Buddhist Burial Mound, Ye Xiu's temperament had changed drastically. By rights, this fellow would never have been so impulsive before. What did this signify? The influence of the Strange Life Count? The power of the Bloodlight Radiant Blade? Had the might of the Ice Flame Twin Blades, the two Demon Gods, awakened the latent malevolence within Ye Xiu?

"It seems someone is already impatient," the figure holding the ice-pillar-like saber—presumably the Cold Demon God—said, now aiming his weapon directly at Ye Xiu, who had stepped forward. "Once I deal with you, I'll take care of the one beside you as well."

"Black Flame Nine Dragons Rise!" Ye Xiu spoke little, his hand slowly moving toward the Cold Demon God, trailing black flame. At that moment, nine massive black dragons erupted, roaring across the sky like spilled blood, enveloping the Cold Demon God's form.

"A decent power, regrettably..." The Cold Demon God gave a start, plunging his long saber into the ground. Instantly, myriad ice spikes pierced upward from the earth, filling the entire area. Ye Xiu laughed softly and easily leaped up, perching atop one of the ice spikes. He commanded the dragon flames to churn like razor edges, attempting to shatter the spikes, only to find that these seemingly slender protrusions from the ground were incomparably hard; his flame attack proved utterly ineffective against them.

"Heh, boy, do you think these ice spikes fear the fire in your hand?" The Cold Demon God grinned, and though he lacked a head, his smugness was palpable. He raised his saber, and the ice-pillar blade extended to an extraordinary length, stabbing toward Ye Xiu. Ye Xiu's eyes flickered, red light blazing forth. He flipped upward, aiming for the heavens to evade, but unexpectedly, the rigid-looking ice pillar could bend freely, instantly redirecting its trajectory to charge at him once more.

"Radiant Blade Slash!" Ye Xiu, greatly enraged, concentrated the drops of blood in his hand, manifesting a Radiant Blade larger than any before. He brought it down upon the ice pillar with fierce force. Waves of fire flashed, and a powerful current of air tore through the space.

"Pff..." The sound that followed was completely outside the expectations of both Old Liu and Ye Xiu. Far from being severed, the long, straight ice pillar surged forward, grazing Ye Xiu's forehead and drawing specks of blood. Had he not dodged quickly enough, he would surely have perished.

"Hahaha, not bad reflexes, but you won't be so lucky on the next strike." The Cold Demon God straightened slightly, stretching his limbs, as the ice-radiant aura on his saber grew ever thicker.

Ye Xiu rolled sideways to the ground, casually wiping the blood from his forehead. He shook his head, his emotions bordering on explosive rage. His indignation and effort once again coalesced into a rising tide of blood droplets filling the air.

"Hey, Death God! What's wrong with you?" Old Liu felt blood droplets emerging near him as well. Such a scene had unfolded countless times before; these droplets could not appear without cause. Was it stirring the Styx Blood Sea below? Old Liu wanted to voice his concern to Ye Xiu, but when Ye Xiu turned, he was startled into silence. Ye Xiu's eyes could no longer be described merely as red light; both his pupils and the whites of his eyes had turned entirely crimson, with tiny blood threads clinging to the corners of his eyes. In that gaze, Old Liu distinctly saw a giant claw formed of flowing blood behind Ye Xiu.

"I'm angry!" As Ye Xiu finished speaking, his entire body flashed next to the Cold Demon God. The air was suddenly filled with gore. He stood firm, using extreme speed, his right hand casually gripping the Radiant Blade and hacking into the Cold Demon God's back. Unexpectedly, upon impact, the entire Radiant Blade was firmly trapped by a freezing force and could not be withdrawn.

"Heh, if you don't let go, your whole self will be frozen," the Cold Demon God remarked in a tone that sounded almost benevolent. Following his words, the Radiant Blade indeed began to freeze, starting from the blade itself and slowly creeping toward the hilt.

Ye Xiu lightly let go, hovering in mid-air, and blasted downward with black flame, grinning wide. "I never intended to hold onto a blade that tightly in the first place."

"Die!" The Cold Demon God paid no mind to this attack. Without turning his body, he brought his cold blade down again, driving the ice pillar into the ground. Coincidentally, the ice spikes that had surfaced on the ground had now shifted behind him, poised to strike Ye Xiu. Ye Xiu's gaze turned frigid; he tilted the surrounding blood flow downward to halt the ascent of the ice spikes. The flowing blood instantly covered the ground, and within the indistinct sheen, the ice spikes could be seen writhing beneath the surface, unable to break through.

"What?" The Cold Demon God hadn't anticipated his signature move being suppressed this way. Enraged, he pulled out his cold blade and spun around for a strike. Ye Xiu recklessly unleashed some black flame, parrying the blow easily and intercepting the cold blade. The Cold Demon God's figure suddenly shuddered, and the single ice pillar strangely split into two, effectively bypassing the Radiant Blade blocking the middle. Ye Xiu, unable to dodge completely, could only retreat while spreading his arms, unleashing the Black Flame Dragons in the air. However, as soon as he defended against one threat, another appeared: the Cold Demon God's cold blade had once again split, dividing into four, crashing against Ye Xiu's final defense.

"Ah!" Ye Xiu, seeing the crisis closing in, roared, instantly mobilizing the surrounding blood flow to rush to his aid. The Cold Demon God certainly noticed this, raising one hand and gathering cold energy in his palm, which he immediately unleashed, successfully isolating the battle space between him and Ye Xiu from the outside world. With several sharp 'clang' sounds, countless sparks flew. The blood flow continually hammered against the ice barrier but yielded no result.

"Be careful!" Old Liu saw the situation deteriorating and shot upward, intending to break the barrier using his own means. But the moment he began to activate, a wall of purple flames blocked his path. The Flame Demon God descended from above, spinning his flame saber, carving a circle into the ground as he moved.

"Damn it!" Old Liu understood that this figure's goal was to obstruct him, and the ground already covered in flames gave him pause.

"Your opponent should be me; stop concerning yourself with those two," the Flame Demon God said in an even tone, though his attack was swift and powerful. In the very moment he spoke, that circle of purple fire broke open and raced toward Old Liu in the center.