After flying for some time, the monotonous scenery along the way made Ye Xiu feel somewhat weary. He lowered his head to look down, only to find that aside from the surrounding black clouds, nothing was visible. When he looked up again, it was nothing but dense black clouds. He felt as if he were suspended in an abyss of despair, unable to see the path ahead or the way back. At that moment, he suddenly felt a chill seep into his very core. He knew this was fundamentally a physical issue—everyone knew that the higher one ascended from the ground, the thinner the air and the colder it became. But the temperature now was unreasonably low. The moss-covered cliff face had suddenly formed a thick layer of frost. He cautiously extended a finger to touch it and discovered the ice possessed considerable hardness.

“Hey, what’s it like up there?” Old Liu followed closely behind, having also noticed something was amiss. He rubbed his hands together for warmth. “If we keep flying down endlessly like this, won’t we freeze to death up here?”

“Ah… huff…” Ye Xiu was beginning to feel his body slipping out of his control. The biting cold seemed to be affecting him physically. He forced himself to use the Black Flame to raise his body temperature and continued forward. “Mei Yi, are you alright?”

Mei Yi let out a cold smile. One of her Radiant Moon Crystal Wheels could generate flame independently, and at that moment, the wheel was circling around him, its faint sparks self-sustaining. “If you’re cold, my embrace is always open to you.”

“Can you open it for me too!” Old Liu had intended to summon his Firelight Beast, but the creature absolutely refused to emerge. He was shivering so hard his teeth were chattering.

Seeing that Old Liu could still crack a joke, Ye Xiu, disregarding further caution, continued to bore through the dense black clouds in an upward flight. The three of them had been traveling for quite some time, but judging by the situation, there was no hope of reaching the summit. Just then, a series of "crack" sounds echoed from within the black clouds. Alert, Ye Xiu pressed himself against the cliff face, staring coldly upward. Several clusters of red objects were rapidly approaching them.

“Fire…” Ye Xiu gasped, narrowly dodging a fireball descending from above. Before he could recover, several more flames shot down towards him. The situation was perilous. Without thinking, Ye Xiu unleashed his Black Flame and hurled it at the sudden fireballs, neutralizing them. Although he hadn't taken a direct hit, he could feel an intense heat wash over his body. What was going on? Was this a volcano? Ye Xiu weaved left and right, dodged backward and forward, darting up and down. Each time he ascended a short distance, the number of fireballs increased. When the massive barrage of fireballs plummeted vertically toward the icy mountain face, they were instantly frozen solid and shattered upon impact.

“Clang, clang…” Behind Ye Xiu, Old Liu and Mei Yi worked in tandem, using their longswords and crystal wheel to break apart the remnants of the shattered fireballs. The advantage of trailing behind the Death God was that one didn't have to personally deal with those inanimate threats.

“Is this the legendary Ice and Fire Double Heaven?” Ye Xiu’s heart drummed nervously. Fortunately, his Death God physique could withstand both the severe cold and the scorching heat. He did not stop; instead, his desire to reach the summit grew stronger. He carved a path using the Black Flame in one hand. Finally, after a period of intense combat, he burst out of that scorching zone and plunged back into the thick black clouds.

“Damn it!” Ye Xiu was so frustrated he wanted to curse the mountain. This mountain was so treacherous; what treasures could possibly await at the peak? And such treasures were clearly not meant for ordinary people. Who could traverse this weightless space with ease? Here there was ice and fire, and perhaps other things besides.

“When the hell will this flying end?” Old Liu finally lost patience and caught up to Ye Xiu on his sword. He gazed around—it was still the same endless deep blue. “Mei Yi, you said this was the ruins of your Yuyu Fengdao Alliance. You should know what this place is.”

“I am only considered an outer member of the Fengdao Alliance,” Mei Yi ascended on her crystal wheel, her expression solemn and decidedly grim. “I heard some smiths within the Alliance were masters at forging blades in a vacuum. I never understood how they managed it; the principle is beyond the comprehension of ordinary smiths.”

“Right, vacuum! People would suffocate to death.” Old Liu found that odd upon reflection. “I’m in a state of weightlessness now, yet I don’t seem to have any difficulty breathing. Is the so-called First Underworld Smith, Yan Luo, waiting for us atop this peak?”

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!” Before Ye Xiu could answer Old Liu, streaks of cold light instantly blanketed the entire sky. That oppressive mass was no longer merely black clouds but countless sharp swords, their points aimed downwards, charging toward them like a monstrous tide.

“So many swords!” Ye Xiu felt immense pressure. He could clearly see the flat area at the mountain's summit; the last thin layer of clouds seemed just above his head. Vaguely, he thought he saw a silhouette up there gazing down at him. “There’s someone above!”

“Crystal Wheel, move!” Mei Yi also sensed the danger. She cast out both her Radiant Moon Crystal Wheels. The wheels shifted into an ice-fire form and settled before the three of them. When the mass of ten thousand swords descended and struck the crystal wheels heavily, they miraculously formed an indestructible shield.

“Now’s the time to go up!” Old Liu rode his sword, breaking through the swarm of swords. However, when he looked toward the peak, the silhouette casually lifted a short sword and summoned countless more swords to charge at him. “Ye Xiu, I’ll send you over! To get through this sword swarm, we have to stop that person!”

Ye Xiu understood Old Liu’s intent. He nodded to Mei Yi and instantly pulled the thin razor thread Old Liu had deployed. Using the tension, his Black Flame instantly turned crimson, enveloping his entire body in a deep red inferno as he shot forward.

“Blast!” With an explosion, the ten thousand swords flying through the void vanished into nothingness. Ye Xiu crashed heavily onto the platform at the summit, forcing the sword-wielding silhouette to retreat significantly.

“Who are you?” Mei Yi and Old Liu leaped onto the summit platform, one in front and one behind. If the mountain itself was strange—shaped like a perfect cylinder—the peak held no vegetation, only a single stone hut and a rudimentary iron-smelting furnace, resembling a blacksmith’s shop.

The mist on the summit was thick. The silhouette sighed softly before slowly appearing before them. He had disheveled hair, a withered face with vacant eyes, and wore tattered hemp clothing, standing barefoot as he growled, “The land of the Yuyu Fengdao Alliance has not seen outsiders for a long time. Since you have reached this place, perhaps it is I who should ask: Who are you?”

“You are a member of the Yuyu Fengdao Alliance?” Mei Yi immediately pulled a metal scroll from her pocket. The scroll was curved yet intensely bright. “Senior, I am also a member of the Fengdao Alliance. I humbly request guidance.”

At that moment, a burst of dazzling starlight enveloped the entire mountaintop, ascending from below. These star-lights had clearly tracked Ye Xiu and the others up the mountain. They converged above, circled briefly, and then shot down simultaneously toward the old man’s crown.

“Careful!” Old Liu lunged forward, attempting to shield the old man from the starlight. But as he moved the old man away, the starlight tracked them like guided missiles, following their movement and pouring entirely into the old man’s body without causing the slightest pain. “This…”

Ye Xiu clenched his teeth. Those laser-like beams clearly had the capacity to injure flesh, yet they seemed to be absorbed by the old man. He asked in astonishment, “Senior, are you alright?”

“Hmph! Stellar Flares are necessities for forging peerless divine weapons—things a smith covets his entire life! How could I possibly be harmed!” The old man glared, instantly blasting Old Liu far away. His voice was deep as he pointed at Mei Yi. “This iron scroll is indeed the token of a Fengdao Alliance member. Why have you brought two outsiders into the Alliance ruins?”

Seeing the menacing aura surrounding the old man, Mei Yi offered a flattering smile. “May I dare ask your esteemed name, Senior? We entered the ruins purely by accident. A friend of mine had his weapon broken, and being young and ignorant, I sought the aid of a Fengdao Alliance expert. That is all.”

“What weapon? Show it to me!” The old man raised one hand, revealing a massive palm. The calluses were the proudest mark of a smith. “If it is not a peerless divine artifact, it is not worthy of being repaired by a Fengdao Alliance member.”

Ye Xiu, accustomed to arrogance, bowed his head and retrieved the drop of Ming Luo Sheng’s heart's blood. The blood floated upward, slowly dissolving, and the broken Death God Scythe materialized in mid-air, lifeless and still, as if dead. “I implore Senior’s assistance.”

“The Underworld’s Holy Sword, Yuantu!” With a gust of palm wind, the old man struck the Death God Scythe back into the heart’s blood. He strode forward in fury, grabbing Ye Xiu by the collar. “This weapon was forged by the old ghost Yan Luo, a divine artifact of the Underworld! How could it fall into your hands? How could it be broken? What weapon broke it?”

Old Liu rushed over and raised the Demon-Slaying Sword on the back of his hand, chuckling. “Both Holy Swords of the Underworld are here. Senior’s ability to recognize the forging material of the Holy Swords confirms you are indeed a master.”

“Speak quickly!” The old man seemed to have lost his patience. He tightened his grip, making Ye Xiu extremely uncomfortable. “Yan Luo’s masterpiece in the Underworld—how could it be broken so easily!”

“Slaying the Sovereign World, Emperor Slash!” Ye Xiu flung off the old man’s hand, speaking unapologetically. “Since you call the Underworld’s First Smith, Yan Luo, an ‘old ghost,’ may I ask who you truly are?”

“Hahahaha, Emperor Slash! It truly is Emperor Slash.” Hearing those three words, the old man burst into uproarious laughter. He threw his head back and roared excitedly, “Did you see that, old ghost Yan Luo? The Emperor Slash, forged by me, Bing Ao, has actually broken your prized Holy Sword of the Underworld! After tens of thousands of years, you have finally fallen beneath my feet!”