Ye Xiu watched as Old Liu’s heel was smashed into a pulp and felt a sudden heat rush to his head. He knew that while Old Liu possessed formidable Daoist arts, he was merely an ordinary human. Faliang Luo’s strike had brutally shattered his leg, leaving Old Liu a cripple from that moment forward. “You... are you alright...”

“Damn it, what time is it, get out of here, hurry!” Old Liu managed to pull himself up, sweating profusely, his gaze fixed on the sky. That colossal body was already hurtling towards him for another strike. “Hurry up and go, do you want us both to die?”

The bond between Ye Xiu and Old Liu was unspoken, yet Ye Xiu had never truly felt the pain of impending separation. In this instant, his heart felt intensely hot, as if some wild beast were roaring within his veins. “You idiot, why are you being so foolish?”

“Foolish? That person’s speed has already surpassed my own when activating the Qijing Dao. Do you think you can evade him? Hurry up and find a way to leave, his target is me now!” Old Liu spoke of life and death with a casual air, gritting his teeth as he angrily slapped the ground. “Damn it, it’s all that woman Meiyi’s fault. I came here, didn’t get my magic treasure, and now I’ve lost a life. Truly not worth it.”

“Whoosh-thud!” In the blink of an eye, Faliang Luo’s body had pressed down squarely above Ye Xiu’s head, threatening to turn them both into meat paste.

“Ah... ah!” In that moment, Ye Xiu merely lifted one arm and managed to physically hoist Faliang Luo’s body up. His entire body glowed red, a murderous intent flashing in his eyes. With a slight exertion, a burst of violent black flames erupted, blasting Faliang Luo several dozen feet away. “Hoo... hoo...”

“This power!” The white bone armor enveloping Faliang Luo was shattered by the impact. He knelt on the ground, his mind deeply confused. “Isn’t this the power of the King of Hell? How can a mere low-level Death God instantly erupt with power comparable to the King of Hell? What a terrifying fellow.”

“Ye Xiu...” Old Liu finally managed to roll over, wanting to check Ye Xiu’s condition. To his surprise, Ye Xiu had already vanished without a trace.

“Die!” A voice sounded piercingly decisive, a figure dissolving into nothingness. Ye Xiu’s speed reached its zenith as he reappeared before Faliang Luo. He held no weapon; only his hands, wreathed in black flames. “Master of the Bone Sect? You will pay the price for what you have done.”

The surrounding air suddenly stilled. Faliang Luo knelt on the ground, watching Ye Xiu raise one arm high. This arm resembled a longsword. Was this fellow intending to sever his own ten-thousand-year indestructible bone with a single hand?

Ye Xiu bared his teeth, looking down upon Faliang Luo with an overwhelming presence. His breathing was heavy, suppressing Faliang Luo to the point of immobility. In that moment, his hand was a sword, a sword of judgment. At such a juncture, even if the Death King, praised by millions, were to appear personally, he could not stop this from happening. Faliang Luo was undoubtedly doomed!

“Wait, this power is disappearing.” Faliang Luo gently lifted his head. In his eyes, Ye Xiu, who had been surging with momentum, now stood firmly, holding his hand aloft like a divine statue. The energy within the young man’s body was draining away instantly. “Are you connected to the King of Hell? Do you still intend to reign supreme even at this moment?”

“This is bad, Ye Xiu, wake up, Ye Xiu!” Old Liu struggled to sit halfway up. He wanted to use his sword to channel energy and stop Faliang Luo’s movements, but the agony from his shattered leg prevented him from concentrating. “Escape...”

Ye Xiu’s mind was blank. The sensation of slaughter from moments before vanished in a flash. He felt utterly drained of strength and began to fall. He started to wonder, how could this be? He couldn't even ascertain where that surge of power came from, or why it disappeared. He began to hear mysterious voices, pleading with him not to strike.

“Thump...” Faliang Luo stood up and supported Ye Xiu, using the power of the Bone Sect to lower his body gently onto the ground. “Although I don’t know why, perhaps these are the voices of the Death God and Bone Gatherer sleeping here—the will of the King of Hell.”

“Ye Xiu! Ye Xiu!” Old Liu used the last of his strength to float upwards, attempting to rescue Ye Xiu from Faliang Luo’s grasp. However, as soon as he took flight, he was surrounded and trapped by the surrounding white bones. “Damn it!”

Faliang Luo glanced at Old Liu and casually waved his hand. Some of the white bones began to stir and fly towards Old Liu.

Seeing the bones hurtle toward him, Old Liu prepared to defend himself with the Demon-Breaking Sword. Unexpectedly, the white bones slowly floated over and affixed themselves to his severed leg. Soon, they completely integrated into his skeleton, and a brand-new leg bone formed. “My leg, my leg, what exactly do you mean by this?”

Faliang Luo placed Ye Xiu next to Old Liu and stated coldly, “Rest assured, this fellow has merely fainted; he will wake up soon enough.”

“You won’t kill us?” Old Liu’s leg was now fully restored, allowing him to stand perfectly. He still harbored some hostility towards Faliang Luo. “What exactly do you want to do...”

At this moment, Faliang Luo opened his palm, and a white bone radiating an unusual light materialized there. “This is the Profound Heaven Root Bone you needed. It is of no further use to me. Take it.”

“The Dead Kingdom... what secrets do the Dead Kingdom and the Bone Gatherer hold?” Ye Xiu, illuminated by the brilliant light, gradually awoke. Only one question remained on his lips. “Tell me... what is the secret?”

“Hmph, that is not for you to know.” Faliang Luo chuckled faintly, transforming into a white bone storm and sinking into the earth. His voice echoed throughout the burial ground. “The secret of reincarnation will naturally be revealed by time. Often, the world's secrets might lie hidden within the secrets of a single person. Hahaha.”

“You...” Ye Xiu struggled, reaching out to take the Profound Heaven Root Bone hovering in the air. His body was still so weak, too weak even to stand. “Tell me... tell me...”

Old Liu sighed, still brooding over Faliang Luo’s departure. Seeing Ye Xiu so obsessed, he couldn't help but support him, advising, “What is wrong with you, fellow? The man is gone, what are you still asking for? Aren’t we satisfied just getting the Profound Heaven Root Bone?”

Ye Xiu was weak but still managed to speak. He was genuinely relieved to see Old Liu's legs restored. “What is wrong with you? You’re the same whether you have legs or not. Good attitude.”

“Fine! I don’t have time for your jokes. You should rest properly, you strange fellow.” Old Liu said this because he understood Ye Xiu better than anyone, yet Ye Xiu’s power could not be measured by normal standards, making him the person Old Liu understood the least.

...

Beneath the waters of the Spirit Spring Pool, the earth below was a vast cavern, filled with countless circling bats, forming a unique spectacle. Logically, this area should have been completely filled with the Spirit Spring Pool’s water.

Yama jumped in alone. When he reached the end of the hollow, he discovered a pile of iron implements blocking the water’s ascent. “I never expected that the ordinary iron tools used for testing swords back then would have such power.”

Long ago, when Ouyezi was transformed into the Death God Yama after the Myriad Demon Saintess incident, Yama had visited this place. At that time, crossing Spirit Spring Mountain, he had only taken the soul of the Xuanji Hook Worm. Perhaps by coincidence, he forged the bodies of the Twin Saint Swords of the Underworld in this Spirit Spring Pool. Although the completion of the Twin Saint Swords occurred in the Styx Blood Sea, the critical forging stage took place beneath the Spirit Spring Pool. When the twin swords were first finished, he tested the might of divine weapons with every weapon he possessed. He never imagined that the scrap iron cut down by the divine weapons back then would possess the ability to dam the water passage of the Spirit Spring Pool.

Yama struck down with his blade, instantly shattering the heavy iron implements into dust. The long blade in his hand was, to date, the weapon he had forged with the highest hope of becoming the realm’s foremost divine artifact. After that strike, the Spirit Spring Water rose like a flood, instantly filling the entire cavern.

“Whoosh-boom...” When Yama shot out of the ground and landed back on the Spirit Spring Pool, the water had already submerged the basin once more, revealing a scene of thriving vitality in the deep black mountains.

“Ouyezi spent his entire life forging divine weapons. Did he never consider using them to conquer the entire realm?” The shadow of the Myriad Demon Saintess flickered, her voice elusive and uncertain. “Did you ever consider whether the divine weapon in your hand, once born, would truly serve you?”

The Saintess touched a painful spot for Yama, yet he showed no hesitation in his resolve. “If a divine weapon appears, it matters little if it cannot serve me; at least I am certain it can change the entire world, alter the very structure of this realm.”

Seeing Yama’s mind was set, the Saintess smiled faintly and revealed her thoughts. “Consider what would happen to the world if the divine artifact in your hand fell into the hands of the Lord of the Demonic Realm?”

“The Lord of the Demonic Realm?” Yama had only changed from human to Death God. The realms he experienced were merely the mortal world and the Underworld. He could not perceive the disturbances in the Demonic Realm. However, he was keenly aware of the Myriad Demon Saintess’s capabilities. “You intend to introduce people from the Demonic Realm, returning this world to a state of chaos?”

“Introduce? Heh, it seems the Lord of the Demonic Realm has long heard that someone among the Yuyu Sealing Blade Alliance is forging a peerless divine weapon.” The Saintess waved her sleeve and turned away, scrutinizing Ying Zheng beside her. She shook her head with clear dissatisfaction. “It’s hard to imagine that such a fellow could become the universally acknowledged First Emperor of the mortal realm. Perhaps a period of relative peace like this ought to be shaken up by outsiders, don’t you agree?”

“You lunatic, do you understand the implications of what you are doing?” Yama finally grasped the Saintess’s plan. He simply could not comprehend such a woman.