"A power, is it the same as the one that guided me into the Mortal Realm back then?" Shajun originated from the Demon Realm; in ancient times, a unique power opened the gate to the Mortal Realm for him. "Does that power still exist in this world?"

King Zhou intended to ally with Shajun, seeking only the power that compelled the world to submit to him: "The Dead Kingdom broke through the boundaries of the realms because of this very power; the Death God called this power the Heavenly Revelation Passage."

"Heavenly Revelation Passage?" Shajun straightened his posture, his eyes fixed steadily on King Zhou as he asked, "In ancient times, a peerless divine weapon named Imperial Sovereign Slash manifested in the Mortal Realm. I was drawn by the might of Imperial Sovereign Slash, but my inability to breach the limits of the realms stalled my plans until the appearance of a certain woman."

"The Heavenly Revelation Passage originates from the King of the Dead in the Dead Kingdom, and his capability stems from a woman as well," was all King Zhou knew. "What an immensely powerful woman she must be; without her, communication between the various realms would be impossible."

"If the Demon Realm hadn't entered the Dead Kingdom, how could the Death God be called supreme across the desolate expanse!" Shajun Tianxia seemed displeased. In this era of conflict, the Demon Realm was confined to a single realm. If not for the summons of Imperial Sovereign Slash, if not for that woman's power, he would still be firmly situated in the Demon Realm, reigning as its solitary monarch. "You only need to tell me where the Heavenly Revelation Passage is now!"

King Zhou was adept at scheming, and he had been waiting for Shajun to ask this very question. "The Heavenly Revelation Passage currently remains within the Primordial Nether River Realm; this is also why my Dark Death Gods can move freely between the Mortal Realm."

"Primordial Nether River Realm." Shajun had never heard of this place, but he knew there was no such thing as a free lunch. "Then I must trouble the Nether King to take me to the Primordial Nether River Realm. Once the Gate of the Demon Realm opens and the Spirits of the Demon Realm enter the Mortal Realm, and I, Shajun Tianxia, have rebuilt Jidu, your Death Gods will naturally receive their rewards."

"However..." King Zhou’s machinations were hidden, but Shajun’s power outstripped his subtlety. "However, the Heavenly Revelation Passage requires otherworldly energy to activate. Currently, the otherworldly energy within the Primordial Nether River Realm is insufficient to open a complete passage for a large influx of Demon Realm Spirits."

"What!" Shajun was naturally enraged by this. Dust surged up at the shock of his hands. "King Zhou, do you know the consequences of offending me, Shajun? I don't wish to waste words with you. How can we acquire sufficient otherworldly energy?"

King Zhou suppressed the insult and replied coldly, "As far as I know, a residual stream of otherworldly energy still exists in the Mortal Realm; it is held within the Xuan Bone Dungeon of the Bone Gatherer, a descendant of Fuxi."

"Descendant of Fuxi?" Upon hearing this, Shajun immediately approached King Zhou. He stared coldly at the scheming fellow before him and laughed, "Haha, I understand! You want me to retrieve the otherworldly energy, using my hands to eliminate your rivals? What authority does your lineage of Death Gods still hold, that you dare not personally approach the long-descended Fuxi clan? Is there truly no one besides the Dead Kingdom Sword Demon, Eight Directions Solitary?"

"This is the truth." King Zhou lowered his voice, knowing he could not confront Shajun directly. He bowed, "The Bone Gatherers are the most mysterious clan among Fuxi's descendants, and the Xuan Bone Dungeon is a sacred ground of Fuxi. My dark faction is few and weak; of course, we dare not trifle with it."

"Fine, I know everything!" Shajun had already seen through King Zhou's plan. He turned away dismissively toward the decaying palace. "Give me the location of the Xuan Bone Dungeon. I know what to do next!"

"Yes, I bid farewell to the esteemed Shajun." King Zhou lowered his head as he spoke, but his heart churned with pain. He waited until Shajun vanished before helping the weakened Yan Du stand. "Shajun Tianxia truly possesses peerless strength. Little does he know that the sacred ground of the Bone Gatherers is a burial place for dragons and tigers to outsiders. I wish to see what capability Shajun Tianxia has to retrieve the Soul Weapon Talisman!"

"King Zhou, do you mean the otherworldly energy is hidden within that Soul Weapon Talisman?" Yan Du leaned weakly against King Zhou. The blood flow from his arm had stopped, but only he understood the severity of the pain. "Shun instantly took the Soul Weapon Talisman, and that Bone Gatherer is this generation's Clan Head of the Bone Sect, Jiaye."

King Zhou sneered and helped the injured Yan Du away. "The opening of the Heavenly Revelation Passage indeed requires otherworldly energy, but I am not certain that the stolen Soul Weapon Talisman contains such energy. I am merely suspecting. If Bone Sect's Jiaye learns of the Primordial Nether River Realm's location, he might interfere with us ahead of time!"

"King Zhou, you intend to use Shajun's hand to eliminate the Bone Sect and secure the position of my dark faction in the Primordial Nether River Realm?" Yan Du took a deep breath. King Zhou’s schemes ran deep, surpassing those of the former Nether King by several magnitudes. "But what if the Soul Weapon Talisman doesn't possess that power? What if Shajun Tianxia demands an explanation?"

"Rest assured, Jiaye is not so easily dealt with!" King Zhou's figure flashed as he leaped with Yan Du into the Eastern Sea. Looking back at the suspended island, he coldly stated, "Shajun Tianxia is not as formidable as legend suggests. If an unavoidable confrontation arises one day, I will let him know that the Dead Kingdom has more than just Eight Directions Solitary!"

...

The heavens and earth shifted; insects chirped, and the fragrant grass swayed mournfully. For the first time, the sound of birdsong echoed in this place, and for the first time, galloping horses appeared. This was a vast grassland, a location that brought immense comfort to body and soul.

Ye Xiu was the first to stand up. He surveyed the grassland where a troop was marching with increased urgency. This was the Qin Dynasty era, yet the banners above the marching column looked strangely familiar. "Xu? Could this be Xu Fu's contingent from that day? Did they bring back the elixir of eternal life from the Three Spirit Mountains in the East Sea? No, that's wrong. The Empress of Myriad Demons has controlled Xu Fu; she intends to get close to the First Emperor."

"Hey, what are you mumbling about all by yourself?" Old Liu finally awoke from his stupor. He stared at the approaching column of people and cried out in alarm, "Damn, have we time-traveled again! Back to ancient times."

Ye Xiu pulled Old Liu along to catch up with the contingent. There weren't many in the formation, but every soldier wore heavy armor and carried sharp swords—a unit composed entirely of elite troops. In their midst was an opulent carriage; the pure white wood was inlaid with shimmering gems that caught the light brilliantly. "I can't explain everything to you, but I'll tell you this: this troop is searching for the elixir of eternal life for the First Emperor. If I'm not mistaken, one of the people inside that carriage is the Empress of Myriad Demons!"

"Hong Ling..." Upon hearing this, Old Liu naturally became interested. He followed closely behind Ye Xiu; their speed allowed them to keep pace with the carriage without issue. "Where are we going by following them? Are they taking the elixir back to the Emperor?"

Ye Xiu nodded. Although he didn't know why the third archway transported them here, investigating anything related to the Empress of Myriad Demons would surely yield results. "We can't worry about that now. Since we are here, we must play out the story properly!"

The setting sun in the west had already dipped, and the sky was gradually darkening. The contingent successfully reached a resting post. The post was structured as a square courtyard; the plaza within was paved with flagstones, resembling a training ground. In the center of the courtyard stood a relatively tall pavilion, clearly the residence of the commanding officer. The single-story buildings extending on either side served as quarters for the soldiers. Ye Xiu and Old Liu quietly followed them here, merely wishing to avoid alerting them; otherwise, they held no fear of these common soldiers.

The white wooden carriage was parked steadily outside the post, and its occupants had likely already entered the pavilion. Outside, the soldiers were meticulously divided into tasks: some on guard duty, others cooking. A day's journey had been arduous even for ordinary men.

Watching the wisps of smoke rise, Old Liu instinctively clutched his stomach in irritation. "To tell the truth, I haven't eaten anything since entering the Yu Yu Seal Blade Ruins. I have no idea how much time has passed; I'm starving!"

"Hungry? Wait until those guys finish cooking, then just go grab some food," Ye Xiu perched on the high wall outside the courtyard, feeling uneasy about this sneaky approach. "Tell me, how can we get close to that pavilion?"

Old Liu's attention was entirely focused on the large pot below; stealth wasn't his forte. "Heck, why don't you just use that big red iron rod you have to take out everyone? Then everyone inside that pavilion will come out to meet you."

"Damn it, if we did that, why would we have followed them all this way?" Ye Xiu had explained his experiences to Old Liu along the way. He carefully recalled, "The Empress of Myriad Demons nearly controlled Xu Fu back then; her goal was clear—to approach the First Emperor. But why she wanted to approach the First Emperor, I have no idea!"

"To grant him eternal life and then become his Empress..." Old Liu made a point, but the mere thought of the Empress of Myriad Demons gave him a bad feeling. "This Empress of Myriad Demons seems to have had contact with many emperors throughout history. She can grant eternal life to ordinary people, but what can these emperors offer her? This woman is so mysterious and intelligent; surely she wouldn't engage in pointless endeavors."

Ye Xiu nodded, equally perplexed. "So, we have to find a way to follow this troop, preferably until we can meet the First Qin Emperor!"

"The First Qin Emperor? Don't kid around! Here, the two of us are just commoners. How can we see the Emperor? Are we supposed to fight our way into the Imperial Palace?"

"Find a way. You're so smart and capable of so many transformations; why don't you just turn into a mouse and sneak in? That way, everything will be clear," Ye Xiu had intended it as a joke, but then he realized Old Liu's skills were truly suited for espionage.

"Damn it... did you get arrogant just because you found an iron rod?" Old Liu reached out to pull Ye Xiu down, but at that moment, a clamor arose. It turned out two guards had come for a shift change.