"Hahaha, why say more when you intend to kill me!" Upon hearing the word 'kill', Ying Zheng's spirits immediately lifted. He clapped his hands, "The descent of so many gods and men upon my Great Qin is an auspicious sign, a truly great omen!"

The ministers below, as well as Zhao Gao standing nearby, were stunned by this display. Qin Shi Huang truly possessed the demeanor of a king, remaining completely composed and conversing eloquently in the face of an unidentified divine being.

"I merely wish to see the Divine Lord of the Eastern Sea!" Ye Xiu walked somewhat wantonly past Ying Zheng and sat himself upon the golden throne. Gazing out, he noted that the throne was perfectly positioned, offering a sweeping view of the entire Xianyang line. "If you truly attain eternal life, how then will the history of future generations continue?"

"Rumble..." At that moment, a fireball suddenly descended from the sky outside the great hall. The Divine Lord of the Eastern Sea arrived in the hall, grasping his gleaming long saber, his veins bulging across his body as if he, too, had discerned Ye Xiu's true identity. "I did not expect to encounter one of my own kind here."

Seeing the sheer power of the flames, Ye Xiu dared not meet the attack head-on. He leaped into the air, springing before the Divine Lord, letting the others behind him be blown about and fleeing the room in chaos from the explosion. "Is this your Purple Flame? Truly the Lord of Death!"

"Heh, my guess was not wrong!" The Divine Lord of the Eastern Sea retracted his weapon and closely scrutinized Ye Xiu. He seemed to possess an expertise in weaponry, immediately focusing on the red iron staff in Ye Xiu's hand. "That iron staff you hold is surely no simple weapon. I can sense the majestic aura it emanates; this must be a peerless divine weapon."

"Enough with the pleasantries, quickly tell me where you have taken my friend." Ye Xiu got straight to the point. Even facing a fellow Flame-aligned Death God, he held no fear. "And those monsters—you must be raising them, right? Why send these ordinary people to the Eastern Sea? What is your purpose alongside the Myriad Demon Saint Empress?"

"Hahaha, you even know of the Myriad Demon Saint Empress." With those words, the Divine Lord of the Eastern Sea suddenly exerted force, snatching up his long saber and slashing towards Ye Xiu. Ye Xiu abruptly raised his iron staff, bracing it tightly before his chest. The clash of their two weapons stirred up sand and wind around them, forcibly driving Qin Shi Huang and the ministers out of the vast hall.

"Ohaha, so the spirit of a divine weapon is all you possess in that staff!" The Divine Lord of the Eastern Sea instantly judged Ye Xiu's weapon. He stepped back two paces and raised his long saber—a blade without shape, only pure light. "This is something my own blade shares with yours. Do you know what they lack to attain a complete form?"

Ye Xiu had no interest in such discourse. He summoned a black flame with one hand and lunged directly at the Divine Lord. "Since we are both Death Gods, why not test whose Purple Flame burns stronger?"

"Hmph, what meaning is there in relying solely on the power of a Death God?" As he spoke, the Divine Lord leaped high into the air, looking down upon Ye Xiu as he unleashed a barrage of Purple Flame. At that moment, the entire hall was once again choked with glowing dust and sand, with no figures visible, only the Divine Lord’s soft voice: "To allow the spirit of a divine weapon to gain a supreme physical form, one must gather the Three Essences: the Celestial Soul (Tian Hun), the Earthly Essence (Di Po), and the Human Pearl (Ren Zhu). Holding a divine weapon, surely you know of these Three Essences?"

"Hoo..." Ye Xiu felt that the Purple Flame from the Divine Lord's hand was essentially equal to his own, meaning this man’s cultivation level was the same as his—High-Tier Blood Artifact Realm. He crouched low, recalling his iron staff. Various doubts surfaced. "While I don't know what these Three Essences do, if you don't return my friend, I fear you won't live long enough to use any divine weapon you acquire."

The Divine Lord of the Eastern Sea was somewhat moved by Ye Xiu’s persistence, but he had his own plan. He continued explaining, "The Celestial Soul is the power of Heavenly Secrets (Tian Ji Wuli); the Earthly Essence is the power of the Mysterious Hook Worm (Xuan Ji Gou Chong); and the Human Pearl... I have already obtained it..."

As soon as the Divine Lord finished this sentence, Ye Xiu felt an infinite radiance emanate from his sleeve. At that instant, the previously transparent gem floated suspended in mid-air. The clouds and mist from the Nine Heavens rushed in through the hall entrance, firmly locking the spirits of the divine weapons held by both men within them. "What is this thing..."

"Hahahaha, ah hahahaha! This is the power of the Human Pearl. The spirits of the divine weapons are absorbing its strength." The hairs on the Divine Lord’s body began to float up. At this moment, the two divine weapons above the hall acted like immortals drawing in smoke, forcefully sucking the mist into their cores. "You're lucky—that you get to share the Human Pearl with me so easily. Your iron staff must be ecstatic too, right?"

"Aaaah!" Hearing this, Ye Xiu felt the iron staff in his hand begin to tremble incessantly. After inhaling the previous mist, the staff gradually revealed the true form of the Tian Miao Sword. "What is this Human Pearl? I saw it on the drill ground absorbing the energy of many people buried alive. Could it be..."

"Precisely. I have labored over this plan for many years, precisely so the Human Pearl could absorb sufficient human energy. To obtain it, I spared no life!" The Divine Lord laughed incessantly, his mouth wide open. "Only those who perish by the soul-energy of the Mysterious Hook Worm can release the power within their bodies. Years ago, when I learned the First Emperor desired eternal life, I began plotting this. I never imagined I would succeed—I succeeded!"

"The Confucian scholars massacred and buried alive on the drill ground—was that you, using the power of the Mysterious Hook Worm?" Ye Xiu sucked in a sharp breath. What sort of figure was the Divine Lord of the Eastern Sea, to scheme for so many years just for the divine weapon in his hand? "Does that mean sending the First Emperor's armies out to sea to search for the elixir of life, giving them super-sight, was only so they would see those monsters, only so that hundreds and thousands of them would die at the monsters' hands to charge the Human Pearl? You are truly despicable!"

The Divine Lord approached Ye Xiu with disdain, glaring and pointing at the iron staff in Ye Xiu's hand: "Despicable? Don't you wish for the divine weapon in your hand to reveal its true form? I can help you. If you join me in finding the power of Heavenly Secrets (Tian Ji Zhi Li), two supreme divine weapons will finally manifest in the mortal world! What a magnificent prospect."

"The power of Heavenly Secrets? Aren't there also the Mysterious Hook Worms? You already obtained those." Ye Xiu knew that, as a Death God, he was not a benevolent figure to ordinary humans, but he understood that the forging of the Tian Miao Sword was at a critical stage. The affairs of this era were irrelevant to him; obtaining the complete Tian Miao Sword was his only hope.

"The energy of the Mysterious Hook Worm is almost within reach; it merely requires a little time. All of this depends on her appearance!" As the Divine Lord spoke, his entire body shifted to the side. Behind him, the Myriad Demon Saint Empress appeared, her white skirt complementing the lingering smoke in the great hall, crystal clear and radiant. "We also require the Saint Empress to open the Celestial Revelation Passage (Tian Qi Tong Lu) and release the true power of the Underworld's Mysterious Hook Worms."

"Myriad Demon Saint Empress..." Ye Xiu should have realized the purpose of the Divine Lord seeking out the Empress. He only wondered why the Saint Empress behind him was willing to be manipulated by the Divine Lord.

"I can sense the aura of the King of Hell within your body, but alas, you are not part of my plan." The Myriad Demon Saint Empress slowly approached Ye Xiu, her features alluring, her figure exquisite, and her temperament extraordinary. "The Celestial Revelation Passage is the thoroughfare connecting the Mortal Realm to the various other realms. Only by opening this passage can the Underworld's Mysterious Hook Worms truly reach the mortal world, allowing their power to be used."

The Divine Lord wore a triumphant expression as he thanked the Saint Empress: "I trouble the Saint Empress greatly for this. Ou Yezi has failed the trust placed in him; I can only blame my deep fascination with divine weapons."

"What? Ou Yezi..." Ye Xiu was utterly dumbfounded upon hearing this. Ou Yezi was transformed into a Death God by a woman—was this woman truly the Myriad Demon Saint Empress who traveled through history?

"Ou Yezi, the Lord of the Yu Yu Blade Alliance, Yan Luo, the Death God Yan Luo, hehe!" The Saint Empress laughed eerily, her tone laced with hatred. "It's just that even the Myriad Demon Saint Empress has moments where her plan falls short. I intended to use your strength to reestablish the might of the Death Gods in this dynasty, but unexpectedly, your sole focus remained on forging divine weapons. You managed to break through my control—I must admire you for that."

Hearing this, Ye Xiu suddenly understood; these two seemed to share some historical connection, and he had become caught between them at this critical juncture.

After the Saint Empress exposed his true identity, the Divine Lord of the Eastern Sea burned away his outer white robe with fire. Instantly, a dashing young man stood before them, his upper body bare, a long, prominent scar across his cheek drawing the eye: "The swords forged by Ou Yezi spanned the entire history of war. Unfortunately, he encountered a woman who transformed him into an immortal, ageless being. This woman then controlled him to build his own faction, making life-and-death decisions. But one day, he broke free of her control, leading to the Yan Luo of today. Truly, he failed the high expectations of the Myriad Demon Saint Empress."

Ye Xiu looked at the two figures brimming with mutual hostility, hefting his iron staff, fully prepared for this rare brawl: "I don't care what your relationship is; all I know is that I want to get out of here!"

The Myriad Demon Saint Empress waved her slender hand, showing no intention of attacking immediately. She smiled seductively, "The former Ou Yezi has become the cunning Yan Luo of today. You possess the soul of the Underworld's Mysterious Hook Worm, but alas, they have not truly entered the world. Thus, you need me to open this Celestial Revelation Passage, because you know I must do so to scout for the next inheritor of the King of Hell's essence in this era!"

Yan Luo nodded triumphantly, a grand black flame igniting in his hand: "The Myriad Demon Saint Empress knows my scheme yet still facilitates the succession of the King of Hell's essence. Indeed. I know you selected me back then, and I failed that King of Hell's essence. Therefore, I guessed you would select the magnificent emperor, Ying Zheng, who ends this chaotic era. To transform two ordinary people into Death Gods within a set period requires the function of the Death Country Spirit Spring (Si Guo Ling Quan), and to enter the Spirit Spring, this Celestial Revelation Passage must be opened."