“Rumble!” Another series of roars erupted outside the plaza, and the second archway finally succumbed to the tremors, collapsing entirely. Instantly, the entire scene was engulfed in thick dust, burying Old Liu within it.

“Spit, damn it!” Old Liu had never expected an archway to kick up so much smoke. He struggled out, intent on checking the damage, when he suddenly noticed an intense red light emanating from within the third archway. Before he could dodge, a blast of energy surged out, knocking him flat onto the ground. “Waaaah…”

“Master, Master…” Su Su’s voice suddenly sounded soft within the scene. The red light gradually faded, and purple smoke rose again. She quickly materialized and rushed toward Ye Xiu, who lay motionless on the ground. It was Ye Xiu who had burst forth from the third archway; due to the division of his realm's power, he had been violently ejected—was this fate, or perhaps the arrangement of some unknown entity? “Master, are you alright?”

“Death God!” Old Liu spat out sand, rubbing his head in startled delight. He scrambled over and shook Ye Xiu. “Death God, Ye Xiu, damn it, you finally got out!”

Ye Xiu was somewhat disoriented. The memories of the Sky-Mocking Sword Soul kept swirling through his body; he could no longer distinguish between reality and illusion. “Where is this place? Slay-Ruler-Under-Heaven! Zeus… where is this?”

Old Liu was equally bewildered and turned to Su Su. “What’s wrong with him? What did you two experience inside?”

Su Su gently caressed Ye Xiu’s arm before letting out a breath of relief. She composed herself and explained, “There were too many bizarre powers within the Four-Storied Tower, especially that Sky-Mocking Sword Soul and a woman!”

“Sky-Mocking Sword? Ye Xiu successfully forged the divine weapon?” Old Liu was both surprised and overjoyed. He searched the ground for the divine weapon, only to find Ye Xiu clutching a dull, reddish iron rod. “You call this iron rod the Sky-Mocking Sword! A woman? What woman? Could it be the Ten Thousand Demon Empress they spoke of?”

“Hoo…” After a brief recovery, Ye Xiu managed to sit up. Thanks to Su Su’s healing power, his consciousness began to clear, but he noticed some people were missing. “Mei Yi? Blade Maniac… did Blade Maniac kidnap Mei Yi?”

Seeing Ye Xiu becoming agitated, Old Liu quickly held him down and nodded by way of explanation. “While you were inside the Four-Storied Tower, Yama appeared. He killed Blade Maniac and Bing Ao, and he took Mei Yi with him.”

“Yama…” Ye Xiu clearly had no memory of Yama within the Four-Storied Tower. All he knew was that the Ten Thousand Demon Empress had gone to see the First Emperor; what scheme did she have? “Let’s go find him. He must still be within these ruins.”

Old Liu was anxious too, but he was more eager to know about Ye Xiu's experiences inside. “Is this rod what Su Su called the Sky-Mocking Sword? What did you actually gain inside? Didn’t they say all four archways had to collapse to signal the forging of the divine weapon?”

Hearing this, Ye Xiu finally noticed the red iron rod in his hand. Though slender, it was undeniably just an iron rod, incomparable to a divine weapon in appearance or power. He exclaimed, “I only obtained the sword soul of the Sky-Mocking Sword. I don’t know the complete forging method. But do you know who I encountered inside?”

“Who? That mysterious woman?” Old Liu certainly knew; it seemed this entire story revolved around that woman.

“Hong Ling, Mo Xi, and Ji Jiang, the woman beside Han Xin!” Ye Xiu realized what Old Liu meant, but even so, he didn't know how to explain everything. “That woman’s true name should be the Ten Thousand Demon Empress. As for why she transformed into Mo Xi, Ji Jiang, and Hong Ling, I have no idea.”

“Shocking! I knew it was her. The Ten Thousand Demon Empress seems connected to every crucial period of history,” Old Liu recalled meeting Hong Ling for the first time—she was just a naive and beautiful girl. Now, no matter how one looked at it, her identity was far from ordinary.

“Enough talk, let’s go find Mei Yi quickly.” Ye Xiu stood up, surveying the surroundings. Apart from the Four-Storied Tower, the area was vast. The two strange archways stood rooted in place, their wide portals seeming to beckon him. “Which way did Yama leave?”

Old Liu desperately tried to recall the previous scene. Yama, possessing supreme power, had vanished before his eyes while taking Mei Yi. He spread his hands helplessly. “I don't know which direction he took, I only know you came in through the doorway of the third archway.”

“Go!” Ye Xiu did not hesitate and sprinted toward the doorway with Su Su. Just as he passed through the empty portal, a peculiar radiance shimmered forth again, enveloping the entire world in a blinding glare. Even Old Liu, standing stunned behind them, was inexplicably swept up in it.

“Damn it, how did you know there was something strange in there?” Old Liu followed close behind Ye Xiu, trying to shield his eyes with his hands, only to realize his limbs were being consumed by the light. Before long, he could no longer see his own body.

Ye Xiu naturally noticed this too. Seeing another Dao Realm within this archway, he thought perhaps Yama had entered this dimension. “I don’t know. Just a feeling, or perhaps the Sky-Mocking Sword alerted me.”

……

Beyond the East Sea, the great affairs of the world were secretly set. A thick mist permeated the Floating Island, with Poison Mist leading the way. A mysterious dark silhouette descended smoothly. This person wore a Black Tiger mask—it was Zeus, the central figure of the entire Dark Death God faction.

“Awooo… Ahh…” The Floating Island possessed neither trees nor grass, only miasma and the walking dead nourished by it. Sensing the presence of living beings, they crawled out excitedly from the depths of the earth.

“Is this the ancient Jidu?” Zeus was naturally reluctant to set foot in such a corrosive place, but the Death God faction was not what it used to be. To gain the trust of Slay-Ruler-Under-Heaven, he had no choice but to make a personal visit.

Poison Mist waved his hand lightly, instantly releasing a cloud of toxic vapor. When the vapor entered the zombies, it forced them into a deep slumber. “This is the remnant shadow left in the Mortal Realm by the ancient Jidu. Without the true opening of the passage between the Demon Realm and the Mortal Realm, the spiritual essence of Demon Realm creatures cannot enter the Mortal Realm. Thus, these things can move but possess no true thought.”

Zeus, clad in a dark cloak, merely shifted slightly to the side as a streak of sword light flashed past, slicing the surrounding zombies into powder. “Mere ants, how dare they exist in this world?”

“Hng-Heh!” At this moment, the entire Floating Island shuddered from this earth-shattering sound. A beam of golden light shot forth, knocking all the zombies on the island into the ground. Its target was Zeus.

“Zeus, watch out!” Poison Mist attempted to shield Zeus, but to his surprise, the golden light contained the blade edge of the Emperor-Overlord Slash. As the blade swept past Poison Mist, it immediately began to move strangely. Before he could evade, the hand holding his pipe was cleanly severed, causing him intense agony. “Ah…”

“Slay-Ruler…” Zeus, whose power was considerable, could naturally sense the prowess of that strike. At that instant, his might erupted, causing his cloak to ripple violently, and the Shadow Dragon Evil Longsword materialized in the air. “Such hospitality from Slay-Ruler-Under-Heaven, I wonder if that’s quite appropriate?”

“Whoosh whoosh whoosh!” Words failed; what followed were three streams of rapid blade lights, intertwining as they descended, aiming to sandwich Zeus from all sides.

Seeing the imminent danger, Zeus unleashed the ultimate move of the Dragon Evil Sword. The shadowy mass of light transformed into a black dragon, surging forth. The dragon opened its massive maw and deeply inhaled the surrounding airflow, causing even the glint of the closing blade lights approaching Zeus to vanish as they were effortlessly dissolved. “A mere blade technique? Slay-Ruler, you think too little of those of my Dead Nation!”

“Pwoo…” A fierce gale swept through, stirring up the surrounding dust. The particles intertwined and surged again, striking Poison Mist’s body and forcing him back several steps. A crimson figure descended, and absolute golden light ascended from the dragon crown atop his head. “The zombies on the Floating Island are all living bodies belonging to my Demon Realm, merely lacking the Demon Realm Spirit. Cutting off one of your arms is to teach you a lesson.”

“Ah, Hah…” Poison Mist’s strength was worlds apart from Slay-Ruler’s. Having lost an arm, he had nothing more to say and merely sat aside quietly.

Zeus’s gaze hardened, recognizing the extraordinary bearing of the newcomer, yet he felt immense indignation at Slay-Ruler’s actions. “Jidu Tyrant, Slay-Ruler-Under-Heaven?”

“You are Zeus of the Dead Nation?” Slay-Ruler turned, showing Zeus no quarter. “I don’t care who you are. If you don’t dare show your true face, I suppose I’ll have to converse with you while carrying you.”

Zeus knew wearing a mask was disrespectful, but Slay-Ruler, the once-dominant Lord of the Demon Realm, still exuded an air of kingship that deeply irritated him. “My Dead Nation intends to ally with the Demon Realm, yet Slay-Ruler treats guests this way!”

“Ally!” Slay-Ruler seemed unable to tolerate such a word. He turned and glared, sending a burst of energy surging toward Zeus. “I said it before, my Demon Realm needs no alliance with any clan!”

Zeus felt a great wind rush past, blowing his cloak upwards. However, mixed within the wind was a streak of blade light, and the target of this light was the mask on his face. He raised the Dragon Evil Sword to meet the blade light, and this parry caused his entire body to lean back slightly. “Slay-Ruler-Under-Heaven!”

Slay-Ruler had no intention of provocation, but the kingly aura would not tolerate Zeus’s insolence. “If your Death God faction has a viable method to open the passage between the Demon Realm and the Mortal Realm, perhaps I will forgo this crusade out of gratitude!”

“Does Slay-Ruler know what it takes to open the passage?” Zeus forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart, removed his mask, and stared fiercely at Slay-Ruler. Killing intent brewed within him, but in terms of sheer strength, he dared not act rashly. “My Dark Death God faction’s Yuan Ming Jiang Realm is the only one among all realms connected to the Mortal Realm. This is not only due to the unique environment of this place, but also because of a certain power!”